MUMBAI: The view from Indian engineer Tushar Shetty\u2019s Mumbai apartment captures a tension playing out around the world as the artificial intelligence boom fuels an unprecedented data-center building spree.<\/p>\n
What was once a stretch of lush \u200bgreenery outside his 21st-floor window is now a scar of red earth where trees were felled to make way for an Amazon facility that forms part of the tech giant\u2019s planned $21 billion investment in AI infrastructure in India by 2030.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would not have bought the house if I had known,\u201d said the 46-year-old, lamenting a purchase made just five months ago.<\/p>\n
From the suburbs of Virginia to the outskirts of Amsterdam and Dublin, residents have increasingly rebelled against the spread of AI data centers, complaining of noise, surging electricity consumption, water stress and industrialization of residential neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
That resistance is gaining ground in India, where Amazon, Google and Microsoft are pouring billions into facilities that advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s ambition to host \u201cthe whole world\u2019s data,\u201d stretching from Maharashtra in the west to Andhra Pradesh in the south.<\/p>\n
Unable for now to match the frontier models emerging from the US and China, India is pursuing a different path, betting that dominance in the \u200cphysical backbone of \u200cartificial intelligence may prove just as valuable.<\/p>\n
The strategy sits at the heart of Modi\u2019s investment pitch \u200bas the \u200cworld\u2019s back \u2060office loses \u200bits \u2060shine, even as the ambition collides with concerns over scarce resources and communities living alongside the infrastructure powering the digital economy.<\/p>\n India holds 4 percent of the world\u2019s freshwater for 18 percent of its people, and data centers are clustering in cities already short of it. S&P Global estimates 60 percent to 80 percent of Indian data centers could face high water stress this decade.<\/p>\n In 2025, data centers used about 150 billion liters of water, a figure projected to more than double by 2030, according to research firm Mordor Intelligence.<\/p>\n Prominent flashpoint<\/strong><\/p>\n The Amazon project near Mumbai is emerging as one of India\u2019s most prominent flashpoints. Reuters interviews with more than two dozen residents and a review of official correspondence show growing concerns it will strain local power and water supplies and generate noise harmful to health, particularly for children and the elderly.<\/p>\n Amazon and local authorities have strongly defended \u2060the project, saying it will not burden public utilities because water and power will come from dedicated sources. The \u200cdispute has nevertheless sparked street protests and drawn opposition politicians into the fight.<\/p>\n Modi\u2019s government has also mounted \u200ca public defense, promoting data centers online as \u201cthe invisible engines powering India\u2019s digital life\u201d and arguing modern \u200btechnologies use water and electricity more efficiently.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Electronics and Information \u200cTechnology, the Prime Minister\u2019s Office and Maharashtra\u2019s chief minister\u2019s office did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n On September 8, hundreds of residents, including elderly people, gathered \u200cbeside the site holding placards reading \u201cData centers are energy vampires.\u201d They want the project moved elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the data center stops, we will stay … If it goes ahead, we will move,\u201d said Vasudha Shetty, 62, who bought a flat near the 54-acre planned facility, but wants to prioritize a quiet retirement.<\/p>\n Amazon weighs community outreach<\/strong><\/p>\n More than 1,000 residents living near the site say the project was pushed through without meaningful consultation.<\/p>\n In Virginia, home to the world\u2019s largest concentration of data centers, Amazon paused a 2024 proposal for three facilities amid \u200cconcerns over noise and proximity to homes, saying it wanted more time for community engagement. Mumbai residents say they never got that chance.<\/p>\n Internally, Amazon is not overly concerned because government officials have indicated the protests will \u2060pass, according to a person familiar with \u2060its planning. Still, the company is drawing up community outreach plans to address concerns over noise, water and power.<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding data centers comes at a cost. Amazon at a global level is prepared to work with community and limit any inconvenience,\u201d the person said. \u201cFor now there is no other option but to live with protests.\u201d<\/p>\n Amazon told Reuters the data center will use water-free cooling, a dedicated power supply separate from homes and noise-mitigation measures. It added that more saplings were planted than trees removed.<\/p>\n Still, even some industry executives question whether data centers belong next to neighborhoods.<\/p>\n \u201cI will never set up a data center in a residential area,\u201d Sharad Agarwal, CEO of Sify Infinit Spaces, which runs 14 data centers, said at an industry event in September. \u201cCenters need abundant, uninterrupted power and water … and near homes they risk being starved of both in a shortage.\u201d<\/p>\n Microsoft has also unveiled a four-year $20.5 billion investment plan for India, mostly earmarked for AI data centers.<\/p>\n Political snags<\/strong><\/p>\n In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, environmentalists are opposing Google\u2019s $15 billion data center project, citing risks to wildlife, water and power supplies and alleging that a temple\u2019s land was used without permission. Google and the state deny any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n The backlash has also turned political. In September, Aaditya Thackeray, an opposition legislator, joined \u200bMumbai protesters demanding the Amazon project be relocated, saying his party would move \u200bit if returned to power.<\/p>\n Back in Mumbai, property broker Atul Jadhav said buyer concerns over views and property values may be hurting nearby resale prices.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will come out on the roads and do whatever it takes to stop it,\u201d said Vidya Kadam, 68, who has lived in the area for 30 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/assets.maestronewsroom.com\/media\/30f6532d-717b-4366-9158-9c455299fcd9\/1791512941145-d5c907a5218e6d13.jpg\")