What is a Hyperscale Data Center

A hyperscale data center is a massive data center that provides extreme scalability capabilities and is engineered for large-scale workloads with an optimized network infrastructure, streamlined network connectivity and minimized latency.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for data storage, hyperscale data centers are in wide use globally for numerous providers and a wide variety of purposes that include artificial intelligence (AI), automation, data analytics, data storage, data processing and other big data computing pursuits. (source https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/hyperscale-data-center)

**The largest Hyperscale center in the U.S, the Citadel, is a 650 Megawatt campus housed on 2000 acres. Project Lincoln is a 600 Megawatt campus on just 256 acres.

Energy Usage

The average hyperscale building utilizes 40-100 Megawatts of power. As efficiency is key many are utilizing renewable energy.

**With its 8 buildings, the Project Lincoln campus will utilize 600 Megawatts of power, enough to power 490,527 Kentucky homes, with no cited plans for renewable sources.

Water Consumption

Data centers use water for evaporative cooling systems, especially in warmer climates. A single hyperscale facility can use upwards of 1.5 million gallons per day.

**Project Lincoln has not provided data on its proposed water usage.

Generators / Back Up Power

The most efficient 75 mw generators consume about 4300 gallons of diesel per hour. Fuel for up to 24 hours is typically housed on-site. Additionally, generators are spot tested with a complete test done monthly contributing to both air / noise pollution.

**Although no data has been provided it is assumed Project Lincoln will need 8 generators. This equates to 850,000 gallons per 24 hours.

Community Impact

Hyperscale data centers require security lighting, produce noise 24/7 operating cooling equipment and generators and create air pollution when generators are functioning. Runoff and equipment disposal can also cause concerns for adjacent neighbors.

**The proposed location of Project Lincoln exacerbates these issues. Located just 850 feet from the nearest residence, this site contains two tributaries and a large area of floodplains.