Data heavyweights such as Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI have Nevadans worried due to the state’s ongoing water supply concerns as they look to build more data centres in the region.
The Tahoe Reno Industrial Centre in the northwestern part of the state has seen huge growth in data centres being built or planned, with 13m sq ft of space currently under construction.
The area’s main water supply, the Truckee River, flows through the centre of Pyramid Lake, which is owned by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
The Tribe is concerned that the organisation’s water rights are being ignored as the area experiences longer and more intense droughts.
An analyst’s calculation indicates that the water needs for the proposed projects could consume billions of gallons of water each year.