The rapid growth of data centers driven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence is reshaping infrastructure planning and environmental governance in the United States. Georgia has emerged as a major market for data center development, particularly in the Atlanta metropolitan region, creating economic opportunity alongside significant challenges. Data centers are water-intensive, energy-intensive, and land-intensive infrastructure whose cumulative impacts strain municipal water systems, electric grids, and local land-use frameworks. Unlike single industrial projects, data centers are often proposed in clusters, amplifying community and infrastructure impacts. This report draws on insights from a Georgia-based expert convening to describe the implications of data center growth for water management, energy reliability, ratepayer equity, zoning, and community engagement, identify potential gaps in transparency and regulatory coordination, and present a policy roadmap to help Georgia balance digital infrastructure growth with sustainability, equity, and community protection.

翻译：云计算和人工智能驱动下的数据中心快速增长正在重塑美国的基础设施规划与环境治理。佐治亚州已成为数据中心发展的主要市场，尤其是在亚特兰大都会区，这既创造了经济机遇，也带来了重大挑战。数据中心是水资源密集型、能源密集型和土地密集型的基础设施，其累积影响对市政供水系统、电网和地方土地利用框架构成压力。与单一工业项目不同，数据中心通常以集群形式规划建设，从而放大了对社区和基础设施的影响。本报告基于佐治亚州专家会议的见解，阐述了数据中心增长对水资源管理、能源可靠性、费率公平性、区域规划及社区参与的影响，指出了透明度与监管协调方面可能存在的不足，并提出了一套政策路线图，以帮助佐治亚州在数字基础设施增长与可持续性、公平性及社区保护之间取得平衡。