Over the past few years, Georgia has quietly become one of the hottest landing spots for data centers in the United States. From sprawling campuses in Fayetteville and Palmetto to multi-billion-dollar projects backed by Amazon, Meta, and QTS, the Peach State is transforming into a national hub for cloud, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure.
For communities across Georgia, this surge brings a mix of excitement, uncertainty, and tough questions. What do data centers really do? Will they bring jobs and prosperity, or just soak up electricity and water? Are they good neighbors? And most importantly, how do we make sure local voices are part of the conversation? We believe the answers aren’t found in hype or fear, but in open education and transparent dialogue.
Georgia is home to nearly 160 existing data centers, with at least 11 more under construction. In 2024, the Atlanta metro area led the entire nation in new data center builds, seeing a 76% increase in capacity year-over-year.
Some of the largest projects in the pipeline include:
T5 Data Centers: A massive 20-building campus consuming up to 1.2 gigawatts of power with a price tag of roughly $16 billion.
QTS Fayetteville: A 615-acre campus with more than 7 million sq ft of data space, planned through 2032.
Project Peach in Palmetto: A proposed eight-building, 320-acre facility, currently under intense local review.
Amazon Web Services (AWS): A pledge to invest at least $11 billion in Georgia’s cloud and AI infrastructure, bringing 550 permanent jobs to Butts and Douglas counties.
With the introduction of Project Bunkhouse in 2025, it's clear this isn’t just happening in metro Atlanta. Here in Bartow County, we’re beginning to feel the ripple effects too. Proposals and conversations around new infrastructure are already on the table, and with our proximity to Atlanta’s power grid and interstate connections, it’s clear that Bartow will play a role in this transformation as well.
According to a recent PwC study:
Data centers contributed $25.7 billion to Georgia’s GDP through 2023.
They generated $1.8 billion in state and local tax revenue.
Employment in the sector grew 131.5% between 2018 and 2024, supporting around 30,000 direct jobs and nearly 177,000 total jobs when you include ripple effects across construction, maintenance, and supporting industries.
Clearly, there are tangible benefits. But growth on this scale doesn’t come without tradeoffs.
Georgia Power estimates that 80% of new power demand in the state will come from data centers, with around 9,000 megawatts of new capacity needed. To put that in perspective, that’s more than the output of several large nuclear plants combined. Critics warn that the utility’s current plan leans too heavily on extending fossil fuel use, keeping older coal plants online longer and adding natural gas. This raises questions about cost, environmental impact, and long-term sustainability.
Cooling thousands of servers requires massive amounts of water. Some facilities can use millions of gallons per day, comparable to the daily consumption of thousands of households. Conservation groups like Chattahoochee Riverkeeper worry about strain on already-fragile systems. Unlike power, where utilities at least forecast demand, Georgia has no statewide framework for tracking or limiting data center water use. Local governments are left to patch together zoning and permitting decisions on their own.
Reality: Data centers themselves don’t release toxins or hazardous waste into groundwater. The bigger concerns are indirect, how much water is withdrawn, how wastewater is handled, and what happens when massive campuses displace natural land.
Reality: While construction jobs are plentiful during the build phase, a fully operational data center often employs fewer than 150 permanent workers. They are typically highly specialized IT and facility management roles, not the broad employment some communities expect.
Reality: The truth lies in the middle. Communities do see tax revenue, infrastructure upgrades, and job boosts in construction and services. But without thoughtful policy, many of the biggest gains flow back to large corporations instead of directly to neighborhoods.
Reality: Not at all. Some are small colocation sites tucked into office parks. Others, like the QTS Fayetteville mega-campus, are essentially digital cities with enormous power needs. Understanding the scale matters when evaluating impact.
Until recently, Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs conducted Development of Regional Impact (DRI) reviews for projects like these, giving the public a chance to weigh in. That process has now been paused, making it harder for residents to track and influence proposals. Communities should advocate for bringing back these reviews, or demand equivalent transparency from local governments.
We need Georgia Power and policymakers to:
Refine demand models instead of overbuilding fossil fuel plants.
Require renewable integration, nuclear, solar, wind, and battery storage, alongside data center expansion.
Shift accountability so utilities and developers share risk, not just local ratepayers.
Atlanta has already banned new data centers along the BeltLine to protect housing and mixed-use development. Other counties can follow suit, using buffers, green space requirements, and community benefit agreements.
Numbers alone don’t resonate. When Palmetto residents protested Project Peach, their concerns weren’t just about land use, they worried about identity, culture, and the town’s long-term future. Education should focus not just on “megawatts and megabytes” but also on what this means for families, farmers, and neighborhoods.
As a Georgia-based technology services provider, we live at the intersection of innovation and community. Data centers are essential to the work we all do, they make your cloud apps possible, your AI tools usable, your streaming services reliable. But we also believe:
Technology should serve people, not overshadow them.
Communities deserve a voice in shaping how infrastructure grows around them.
Education beats fear. Instead of letting rumors drive the conversation, we want to arm people with facts, both the good and the concerning.
We’re not anti-data center. We’re pro-balance. Georgia has an incredible opportunity to lead the way in showing that digital growth can happen alongside responsible energy use, fair economics, and strong community involvement.
Stay informed: Follow local planning meetings and read proposals closely.
Ask questions: How much water will this use? Who pays for the power upgrades? What’s the real job count?
Engage neighbors: Don’t let the conversation stay in technical circles, bring it to the kitchen table and community halls.
Hold companies accountable: If billion-dollar corporations are getting tax breaks, make sure they’re also investing in schools, parks, and local infrastructure.
And if you’re a business in Bartow or the surrounding counties navigating this wave of infrastructure growth, PeachByte provides comprehensive managed IT and cybersecurity services, along with on-site technical support whenever it’s needed. From network setup and system monitoring to troubleshooting and ongoing maintenance, we serve as the trusted local partner that keeps operations running smoothly. It’s one of the ways we help connect global technology growth with the needs of our local communities.
Georgia’s data center boom is not a passing trend, it’s a defining feature of the state’s future. The stakes are high: billions of dollars in investment, massive infrastructure shifts, and the long-term identity of towns across the Peach State.
The truth is somewhere between the extremes. Data centers aren’t villains, nor are they miracle workers. They’re powerful tools in a digital economy, and like all tools, their impact depends on how thoughtfully we use them.
Here in Bartow County and across Georgia, the challenge is the same: how do we welcome progress while keeping our communities strong? At PeachByte, we see our role as educators and bridge-builders, helping businesses and neighbors alike understand the realities of technology so we can all shape a smarter, more sustainable future together.