Town near bitcoin mine experiences 24/7 version of more common disenfranchised dynamic
And how data centers, possibly coming to a town near you, compare
By D Menzies
When a new videogame console is released, one of the concerns has been, for all the new graphical capabilities a new system has, how loud would the fan /cooling system be that has been necessary to a piece of hardware essentially not burning out?
People also don’t seem to like the sound of a fan whirring over the sound of the game itself.
And with something like a data center, a comparatively massive conglomeration of computational infrastructure needed to support AI models, the concern is considerably scaled up; the “game” is life. With push back from residents local to the areas where they are built, as there has been in Union County, New Jersey in the past month, data center companies that have addressed this issue have generally said one of two things: they are, or will be, in compliance with the local noise regulations, or they have or continuing to look for ways to mitigate the noise further than is necessary.
That noise, even if complying with those regulations, generally runs 24/7, with peaks and valleys.
How loud can a data center’s cousin of sorts, a bitcoin mining center — with its model wherein more computers have to be added to a mining operation, as the more users there are the need for more power to process “discovery” of bitcoin in its more limited pool — or just a regular ol’ data center be?
According to an article from TechTarget (TT), “Understanding the impact of data center noise pollution,” back-up generators utilized by data centers run from 85dBA on the smaller end to 100 dBA on the larger end, with multiple generators generally being used at once. HVAC systems range from 55 to 85 dBA.
And that’s ancillary equipment.
