By Makenna Nickens
This article was originally published in our Spring Alert Newsletter that was delivered to MCE members in April 2025. Donate and Join now to start receiving your newsletter, other benefits, and to support our mission!
- Data center coming to KC Star
For almost 20 years, the iconic Kansas City Star Press Pavilion has been a facet of the city’s Crossroad Arts District. It is a triangular wedge shaped building crafted almost entirely out of blue tinted glass and copper. As drivers travel along Interstate 670, it is hard to miss. The KC Star left the building behind in 2018 and in April of 2024, a vote was taken on whether or not to use the area for a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Team. Alongside concerns about parking and traffic infrastructure, small businesses being vacated, and tax increases, Kansas Citians also did not want to see the building go, and the ballot measure was rejected by the voters. Now, it has been confirmed that a company called Patmos is moving in with the goal to create a 100 MegaWatt Data Center centered on artificial intelligence (AI).
- What is a data center?
Data centers are facilities built for the purpose of handling and directing high volumes of data and data traffic. In order to do so, these facilities are equipped with millions of dollars worth of equipment that powers, stores, processes, and transfers data. As functions that require massive levels of power and data- such as cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence- have become increasingly popular over the last several years, the need for facilities that can handle these requirements has increased as well. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the number of data centers has increased from 500,000 in 2012, to 8 million in 2024. There are currently at least 22 data centers in the Kansas City area already, according to Data Center Map, and there are more on the way. Some of the more well known names with data centers here in Kansas city include Google and Meta.
- Data centers elsewhere/ silicon prairie
Why are there so many data centers here? When we think of tech, we tend to think of Silicon Valley- an area in the Bay Area of California where a conglomerate of technology based companies are located. Now, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, North and South Dakota, and other midwestern states are being scouted as locations for what is being referred to as the “Silicon Prairie”. The “Silicon Prairie” is tech migration to midwestern states that has been occurring over the last decade and continues to increase. The reasons tech industries are moving this direction are plenty. In the midwest, there is a highly favorable entrepreneurial environment, many world class institutions developing fresh talent in the tech space, low costs of living, and other incentives such as sales tax exemptions, like the one Missouri offers, on the millions of dollars of equipment that is purchased and used in the data centers.
- Environmental Impacts
As more and more platforms and businesses use AI technology, it is important for us to be aware of the environmental impacts that come with it. One example being that AI uses enormous amounts of energy. These data centers are open 24/7 to meet the demands of users across the globe. According to the International Energy Agency, one request through an AI assistant consumes 10 times more energy than one Google search. Energy can be produced through renewable or non-renewable means. Renewable energy, for example, includes solar energy or wind turbines. Non-renewable energy sources are often fossil fuels, coal, or nuclear power. According to the Piedmont Environmental Council, one data center facility can use between 60-90 MW of power during high demand times. This is equivalent to the power usage of more than 15,000 households. The demand to keep up with that level of power usage could push us significantly further away from a renewable or “clean” energy future. The amount of carbon emissions, i.e. greenhouse gases, from this energy expenditure would also be gigantic. By next year, data center emissions could account for 4% of all carbon emissions globally, according to the International Energy Agency.
Another environmental impact is that when these data centers are running, which is all of the time, water is needed to cool the hardware off. In an article from MIT News, it is stated that for every kilowatt (kw) hour of energy a data center consumes, it requires two liters of water for cooling. The Piedmont Environmental Council also states that a data center can also consume 3-5 million gallons of water a day for that same purpose. That is more than the water usage for a small city for an entire year. The data centers also take up a significant portion of land. For example, the KC Star Pavillion is 2 city blocks in size. And, it will join another 23 data centers in our city. That is a lot of area to be used, and those areas will bear the impact of pollution from the facilities.
Rare Earth minerals are another negative environmental impact of data centers. Materials such as cobalt, gold, silver, copper, and more are necessary to the continued production of materials that are needed for data center equipment. The environmental and health impacts of mining are expansive and very serious. A statement from an article by the Yale School of Environment also notes that many electronics are not properly recycled which can further pollute soil and water.
- Possible solutions/ What can we do?
Due to the rapid acceleration and use of this technology, there has not been a substantial amount of research done on the long term implications of these facilities nor the use of AI, cloud computing, or cryptocurrency in general. However, what we can already see is worrisome. As a state, and more specifically as a city that has been pinpointed as a hub for data centers, Kansas Citians need to be vigilant. On a macro-level of engagement we need to be sure that our legislators are crafting and enforcing a plan to make sure that AI companies are transparent about their carbon footprint and following environmental protection recommendations. We need to speak with these companies and ask that they use recycled water and renewable energy where possible, and even further, to contribute to creating renewable energy sources in our metro area. As individuals, we have to limit our use of AI technologies where we can. Rather than using an AI assistant to craft a well-worded sentence, ask someone to proofread for you. Use a search engine to ask a question and comb through the results yourself. Artificial Intelligence and other advanced technologies have come at us quickly, but it will be important to stay informed and engaged to protect ourselves and our environment as these industries move into our neighborhoods and to understand that they come at a cost.
- Sources
https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/can-we-mitigate-ais-environmental-impacts
https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117
https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.09786
https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article295574259.html
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/what-are-data-centers-and-why-are-they-building-in-kansas-city
https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/missouri/kansas-city-mo
https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/development/article295574259.html
We were told that Patmos would be using power from KC’s projected massive solar installations and using water cooling/steam systems that are already in place in the city’s infrastructure. Is this information incorrect?
Hello, thank you for commenting. Patmos stated in the release on their website “Patmos is also implementing advanced cooling solutions, such as liquid cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, immersion cooling, and steam power generation – along with robust power distribution systems to maintain efficiency and reliability at densities demanded by next-generation hardware”, and that they plan to create “sustainable and innovative” data centers. Aside from this information, we can’t confirm what energy or water sources they will be using. If you have a source for this information it would be welcomed; it would be great to have more information on this data center in particular if that is available.
From the research we found for this article, it seems as though the data center plans to be near full operation by mid-2026, while the solar grid isn’t slated to begin construction until the end of 2026.
Ultimately, the purpose of this piece is to educate on the potential environmental dangers of data centers as they are becoming more in demand, especially here in Kansas City where there is an anticipated hub for future data centers, and to encourage citizens to stay vigilant in demanding sustainable practices and renewable energy sources as these data centers are being built.
A very energy intensive project. Solar installation near airport apparently far from being under construction.
Green energy for this project will not be available to other users. Long-term impacts of AI is not being assessed by current administration.