The strongest version of the story is not that data centres are inherently good or bad. It is that their resource footprint depends on where they are built, how they are cooled, what electricity they use and how quickly local infrastructure can expand.
Hidden factor
The same amount of compute can have different local consequences depending on cooling technology, climate and grid mix.
That turns AI infrastructure into a planning question as much as a technology question.
Sources
Limit
National projections should not be treated as the footprint of every facility. Site-level data is required for local claims.