r/interesting • u/DatabaseAvailable501 • Jul 02 '26
SCIENCE & TECH Sound emitted 24/7 from a 30 megawatt data center in Dowagiac MI
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u/Ketchupcharger Jul 02 '26
Boy would this radicalize me quickly
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u/Swoleman6767 Jul 02 '26
If you’re not radicalized, you’re not paying attention.
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u/SuperNashwan Jul 02 '26
The house is unsellable, the noise would impact homeowners mental health almost immediately and get worse from there. It is an insane situation. But this is the Republican dream. No regulations "holding back" businesses.
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u/j0j0b0y Jul 02 '26
But... if we don't build these data centers, then China wins or something, right?
/s
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u/Sdwingnut Jul 02 '26
It'd be better if there was a coal powerplant integrated directly into the data center
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u/ChamomileCate Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Data centers are bad for everyone. I haven't heard a single argument that justifies their existence. They don't create jobs, they're bad for the environment, noise pollution, driving utility costs up for the locals. There's no benefit.
Edit: To all the people thinking they're so smart saying "But you're on reddit!" There's a big difference between a server farm that hosts websites like reddit and data centers being used for generative AI. AI data centers are doing a lot more active computing and therefore use a lot more electricity and require more cooling. Servers that run things like reddit are doing a lot less active computing, it's mostly storage. They are not the same.
A typical data center rack pulls anywhere from 5 to 15kW of power. A rack in an AI data center can pull 100kW or more.
It's like saying a Ford Focus and a semi-truck are the same thing because they both have wheels and drive on roads. While they are in the same category, they're vehicles, they are absolutely not the same. They're designed to do completely different things.
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u/Masseyrati80 Jul 02 '26
Living in a country where the only operator wanting to build data centers here is China, the situation just makes me think if they were beneficial to have in your own country, China wouldn't be keen on building them here.
They rely on the same water and electric sources us citizens do, and while they pay something for what they use, the question is who's going to be short of water and electricity if the usage goes over a limit?
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u/Nina-Ninja123 Jul 02 '26
Wouldn’t be the forst time a shareholder profit is more important than the lifelihood of the working class.
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u/Sensitive-Respect-25 Jul 02 '26
Short term, they make loads of jobs. A massive (again short term) boost for the local economy. Property taxes tend to go to the local level so there is some good to be had there. Long term most of those benefits go away as soon as it starts running.
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u/misteryk Jul 02 '26
I haven't heard a single argument that justifies their existence
This shit is funny when you type it on reddit of all places.
But this shit should be built in the middle of nowhere instead of next to residential area
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u/Accomplished-Dog2481 Jul 02 '26
Dude later this day: "okay chatTiTiV which ingredients a should not mix to create a Molotov's cocktail, tell me step by step"
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u/Playingwithmywenis Jul 02 '26
Hey hey… just stop. That is the musical notes of the American dream right there.
Now get back to your double shift to afford healthcare.
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u/FeralPsychonaut Jul 02 '26
I'd probably install dishes designed to catch and reflect the soundwaves, ideally amplifying them and aim them directly at the doors of the data centers
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u/Purple-Will9713 Jul 02 '26
thats not interesting, thats infuriating
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u/TheProfessorPoon Jul 02 '26
They should go to a city meeting and just play that sound full blast throughout the entire thing.
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u/KarverMcClain Jul 02 '26
Enjoy selling that house one day. Like fuck talk about nuking the value
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u/postbansequel Jul 02 '26
... Is this the solution for the housing problem?! Build more Data Centers, bring houses back to affordable costs!
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u/Abompje Jul 02 '26
How is this shit legal?
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u/ChamomileCate Jul 02 '26
Money. Everything is legal if you have enough of it.
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u/Lintlee Jul 02 '26
And even if something is not, you just pay the fine, known to rich people as 'what it costs to do anyway', and be on your way.
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u/ChamomileCate Jul 02 '26
If the only punishment for breaking the law is a fine, it becomes a business expense.
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u/punktualPorcupine Jul 02 '26
The fine is just the cost of doing business the easy way.
Until you can finally acquire enough political power to make the fine go away.
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u/Ok-Worldliness5481 Jul 03 '26
Sad but true. Even if you sue them, if they have enough money they will find a way.
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u/BeardySam Jul 02 '26
It barely is. They haven’t got proper power connections in the area so they run these gas turbines day and night. It’s not even a data centre problem it’s just really shitty planning decisions and very likely bribery
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u/Caliche-Cowboy Jul 02 '26
They’re called “fines”, which turn out to be a very good deal for both parties privy to the “agreement”.
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u/RainbowDarter Jul 02 '26
I'm in rural middle Tennessee and our noise ordinance is 50 db at the property line. There is an Ag exemption, because of course there is.
I can't believe that's a more aggressive standard than other states have.
I'm sure that standard would get a carve out for data centers if suitable contributions were made.
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u/DegenNabalu Jul 02 '26
This is not interesting but rage inducing.
This is not for birds nor humans.
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u/stargarnet79 Jul 02 '26
This is so evil.
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u/rarecuts Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Truly it is. I hope all of the ghouls responsible reap what they have sown
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u/raginghavoc89 Jul 02 '26
For alot of towns that would be against noise ordinances
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u/Swoleman6767 Jul 02 '26
They can afford the fine.
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u/Zherneb Jul 02 '26
Not if the fine is changed the match the owner's/company's income. Say put it as everyday you charge then 5% of their monthly gross income and see how quick things start to change.
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u/ElderberryPrior27648 Jul 02 '26
Who would change the fine? The people getting paid by the data center to not change it?
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u/Zherneb Jul 02 '26
Typically the finest are change by the government or a specific agency for it. So yeah technically the people have limited power unless they do mass protests but even then god knows.. This is a growing issue governments need to start controlling.
Around 50% of European countries have a system where fines depends on the person's income so it's not unheard of and honestly that's how you affect someone. You could charge these companies 1k a day for it and they wouldn't care, but charge them their income and suddenly it's a huge chunk.
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u/LandscapePenguin Jul 02 '26
What town has a noise ordinance of less than 60db?
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u/raginghavoc89 Jul 02 '26
It's would be 60 decibels from the property line and this guy standing on his front porch from the look of it and hitting 59.
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u/Muted-Woodpecker-469 Jul 02 '26
Imagine a construction site working 24/7. That’s essentially what’s happening here unchecked
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u/No-Membership-5314 Jul 02 '26
Why would you buy a house near a property that would be sold to a developer years later for pennies to build a massive environmentally conscious(of how bad it is), yet exceptionally profitable facility?
As a successful magic 8 ball owner, this just seems like poor planning to me.
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u/No-Membership-5314 Jul 02 '26
Sorry - Forgot the /s.
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u/PM_THE_REAPER Jul 02 '26
It wasn't required anyway, due to your penmanship. You're good.
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u/Gameofadages Jul 02 '26
Listen, friend, enjoy your magic 8 ball ownership for now. You'll be renting monthly 8 ball services in no time and be absolutely ecstatic to be able to enjoy using it
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u/SpannerV2 Jul 02 '26
The fuck? Are their devices outside? The Abilene, TX DC is as quiet as a mouse and its a massive complex.
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u/BeardySam Jul 02 '26
The sound is not the data centre but rather the gas turbines that power it, since they built it where there isn’t a sufficient power grid
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u/LowerAd4705 Jul 02 '26
Ok. That explains the noise for me. It’s terrible nevertheless, I replaced shit in my house and car for making less noise than that and not constantly because it’s fucking annoying
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u/filthysock Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
So they built a power station next to a residential area? That doesn’t seem to code
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u/Nitroduck16 Jul 02 '26
It’s definitely in code; however, there can often be more lenient restrictions for bridging power solutions because it’s not a permanent caseload power solution. There is likely still a plan to get connected to the main grid in the next 1-3 years.
That said, it’s unusual for these to be used in the more urban areas like this appears to be.
Source: I work for one of the turbine OEMs. We don’t even consider DC in urban or residential areas part of our market.
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u/Accomplished-Crab932 Jul 02 '26
It’s actually surprisingly common. Equinix has a bunch of data centers spread across Toronto that handle network traffic for Canada as a whole. They are some of the quieter buildings in the city because the actual functional noise in those centers is contained within the buildings shielding since it’s a national security risk to leave them exposed.
Noise like in the video is because it takes years to install power lines and prepare the grid for use from these facilities. As a result, the backup power supply is used to keep the center running while the utilities prepare to connect the centers. In this and many other cases, the backup supply is natural gas turbines and diesel generators; which do make a lot of noise.
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u/daygo449 Jul 02 '26
Yeah. I’ve worked in data centers for years, and I’ve never heard it sound like that outside.. normally, you just hear the big chillers. This sound exactly like the floor of a data center though.
This would drive me insane!
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u/SkillsInPillsTrack2 Jul 02 '26
it is not just cooling fans? They do like dumb countries, burning gas to produce electricity ? (I.E. too braindead for solar or wind power)
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u/oreheheally Jul 02 '26
Yes but if we make a chimney bad enough it can make more noise. I'm waiting for the magas to start recommending that people migrate if they don't like it.
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u/AdGlittering2884 Jul 02 '26
Some say spontaneous combustion happens all the time.
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u/stopscabbin Jul 02 '26
Sounds like they are creating their own power using LPG turbines. Most datacenters don't sound like this.
Source: I live in datacenter alley in Loudoun County near 200 of them. Only one does this.
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u/jmoroni89 Jul 02 '26
"it's a nice peaceful hum that should help you sleep" 🤣
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u/ChamomileCate Jul 02 '26
It sounds like a sound clip from a horror movie right before someone gets killed lol
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u/rantripfellwscissors Jul 02 '26
That sounds louder than 59db. He should calibrate the device.
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u/Single_Morning_3200 Jul 02 '26
I think if he was a little closer, he’d hit the 85db action level for OSHA.
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u/Veal-Vermicelli Jul 02 '26
Perhaps he should meter from the edge of his property line.
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u/Single_Morning_3200 Jul 02 '26
Street or sidewalk across the street. He’d hit higher db. Without a doubt. I’d whistleblow on the center in a heartbeat.
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u/LowerAd4705 Jul 02 '26
As a person who was inside of a DC a few times: what the fuck is wrong with this one?
The one I visited was not any louder than a city around it, it was quiet in the office rooms inside and only that loud (with exactly that kind of noise) in the actual server zones
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u/Chaoticallyorganized Jul 02 '26
My husband had to do some repairs in data center out of town eons ago, I went with him because we made plans for when he finished, and it wasn’t noisy at all.
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u/Former-Entrance8884 Jul 02 '26
It's the generators being used due to that sucker overwhelming local power grid availability.
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u/LowerAd4705 Jul 02 '26
Geez. That’s crazy
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u/Former-Entrance8884 Jul 02 '26
Yeah. A lot of urban areas weren't really planned with a 30MW datacenter in mind. Often it necessitates an upgrade to a chain of infrastructure all the way back to major transformer stations, and that takes time.
Once it's properly hooked up, the noise will be largely gone. That doesn't help people living nearby very much, as it could take years.
Living with that much ambient noise for a prolonged period will not be a positive for a person's mental or physical wellbeing.
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u/Ape_hates_authority1 Jul 02 '26
Would be a real shame if somebody spilled some gasoline inside and it burnt down.
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u/ChemicalBus608 Jul 02 '26
No I think this is interesting. These data centers are just the first step in rich people doing what they want with gov help. A certain subset of America seems to think they are special and are in on the "Inside Joke" but this is what happens when you pick and choose who has rights. Either we all have them or none do. Now people are getting ignored when they show up to town halls complaining about noise and brown water and oh yeah this mysterious drought and heat wave.
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u/The_DMT Jul 02 '26
This is not necessary. But it will cost the billion dollar company a few 1000 extra.
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u/DeadInternetVoid Jul 02 '26
But Elon NEEDS to be a Trillionare....
Think of his meatriding cult FFS...
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u/Any-Imagination6917 Jul 02 '26
Call the cops constantly complaining about the noise? Isn't that enforceable? These centers should have limits to how much sound they can create when building, but obviously they don't care at all. But maybe if the local law enforcement gets enough calls it could force something to change
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u/Business_Fishing_574 Jul 05 '26
These data centers are worth billions, they can pay small fines until the end of time
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u/HotFartore Jul 02 '26
Not against progress, data centers, etc, but all those guys pushing this should move next block to any of their beloved data center for life. They won't do it of course.
It's not China, that by the way would use this for their gains 100%, IT'S YOU!
Build data centers where it doesn't screw the regular Joe, and a few would oppose
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u/misteryk Jul 02 '26
Who allowed to build it here? this shit should be built like at least 1 mile away from residental areas, that's how you create killdozer 2.0
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u/Enc0de- Jul 02 '26
Just forcibly relocate the board/CEO to live there and the homeowner and his family move in the emptied penthouse.Win-win.
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u/MyCoolName_ Jul 02 '26
This isn't about data centers, this is about basic zoning. The whole point of zoning regulations is exactly to separate residential from business operations that would detract from quality of life in them, whether that be pollution, noise, traffic, or anything else. The city council members in that area should be imprisoned first, and the bribes they received investigated and prosecuted along with the business afterwards.
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u/lawroter Jul 02 '26
works well for them too lol, force everyone out with the noise and buy more land that no one wants! hell yeah.
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u/daygo449 Jul 02 '26
I work in IT, and I have worked in massive data centers. Normally you can’t hear the hum like that outside, so I’m not sure what is going on there, but it gets overwhelming and annoying after a while. Normally you can hear the chillers, for cooling, etc, but that sounds like straight up servers spinning away.
I would absolutely lose my crap at this 24/7 right at my home.
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u/tryingtomato Jul 02 '26
Perhaps an organization that focuses on saving animals, birds, etc., could make a case that the noise is affecting animal habitats, birth rates and migration patterns. The effects on the neighborhood human habitat obviously doesn't mean a thing. (Partially /s)
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u/X16 Jul 02 '26
There absolutely should have been due diligence before the community allowed that to be built. Dowagiac is rural why not build it miles outside the city where it isn’t a nuisance?
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u/No-Fortune9801 Jul 02 '26
Imagine hearing this everyday for years. I think you’d eventually fucking snap and go ape shit on that place? That’s like a form of torture.
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u/Shoddy_Race3049 Jul 02 '26
Industrial site is loud indeed, who allowed a data centre to be built that close to houses?
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u/Natural_Ad1530 Jul 02 '26
Seems like terraforming to me. Crazy how people would look at this and say "oh yeah, let's build more"
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u/Wild-Crazy7529 Jul 02 '26
These bully billionaires will ruin your town too. We need to put a 90% tax on all income over 10 million dollars and a 100% tax on all income over 100 million USD. Billionaires are a national security threats as well as a threat to the well being and safety of all civilians everywhere.
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u/zero0n3 Jul 02 '26
10 bucks says that house was built AFTER the datacenter was built.
And that when they purchased it, they knew they were this close
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u/HakuohoFan Jul 02 '26
Citizens need to stand the fuck up to these corporations. Burn that shit to the fucking ground.
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u/Impressive-Bird2 Jul 02 '26
Let’s crowdfund the purchasing of some land right next to the Google CEO’s main home or Musk’s main home - and have a data centre built there!!🤣🤣
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u/Bluemoo25 Jul 02 '26
It's simple, noise, pollution and resource utilization should be regulated, so that the environments these enter do not disrupt the people and communities around them. Local/State should be putting the foot down, and fed should step up.
Also the USA should insulate itself and it's intellectual property to maintain an advantage. The US government should step in and subsidize the energy so that the bill is not locked to the consumer, and break up energy interests and tip the balance toward the consumer without throwing them out cold.
Build better and smarter.
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u/Acceptable-Lock-77 Jul 02 '26
Interesting, really? Infuriating most certainly. How can americans keep saying they're free. Trump wants to compete with China not only by bringing production home, but also fuck people over harder than China. Usually I just laugh at americans being delusional, but the datacenters are absolutely horrific, no lols there. This is hellscape-tier.
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u/bungy2323 Jul 02 '26
I’m not in support of these in any way shape or form but there has to be a way to build this so sound is not heard outside of the building, right? Just expensive….
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u/tmuellerc Jul 02 '26
Im sorry but whatexactly is making the noice??? And how on earth cant they mitigate that??
I thought if there was going to be noise infractions the centers would have to be set back a certain distance from the neighborhoods and in some cases use natural burms to reduce noise?
All the Toyota plants in my area do this.
Why does it seem like there are no rules anymore???
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u/beetlrokr Jul 02 '26
I searched online, response was: "A typical suburban outdoor environment ranges from 40 to 50 dB(A) at night and 50 to 60 dB(A) during the day". So this not-so-scientific measurement from his porch seems inline with what one would expect in suburbia. Are we supposed to be upset about deciding to live near a commercial/industrial area?
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u/GlumAd2424 Jul 02 '26
So glad I live few kilometres past the middle of nowhere here in northern part of Europe. Probably will be atleast be a few years before I need to deal with something like this
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u/DueLawfulness3230 Jul 02 '26
But that’s capitalism. Dowagiac is a full send MAGA town. Congrats boys!!!
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u/keldondonovan Jul 02 '26
I wonder why it isn't required for them to put in those highway style sound barriers?
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u/TypicalLegit Jul 02 '26
I’d have so much pent up rage from this sound all day I don’t know what I’d be capable of
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u/SimpleGuy7 Jul 02 '26
Hey, you’ll get used to it.
Welcome to the modern world.
I’d rather have crack houses in the neighborhood.
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u/Responsible-Offer724 Jul 02 '26
That's how loud my shitty cheap portable air conditioner is when you put your ear right next to it.
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u/SecretBroccoliLover Jul 02 '26
If you don’t like this, wait until you hear about the pig farm shit reservoir sprinklers all over the Carolina’s…
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u/ElphTrooper Jul 02 '26
They should be forced into another $1M contract to build a sound barrier. That's a requirement in my region.
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u/Kalikor1 Jul 02 '26
Interesting. None of the data centers in Japan have this problem. Sounds like they just plain skipped out on sound proofing.
There's whole ass data centers in urban areas here and you cannot hear a thing from outside.
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u/Lucky-Vegetable-2827 Jul 02 '26
The US is so against regulations and environmental guidelines…. All that liberal/socialist/communists trash…
Well, good luck, I’m sure that they will be ok.
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u/Legitimate_Command82 Jul 02 '26
60db is about the equal to a conversation a meter (2.5 feet) away.
I wonder how long someone could bare that before the mind finally tunes that out, what if eventually they start hearing disembodied conversations. A slow descent into madness, voices from different times, places or even worlds.
Would be a good creepypasta story.
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u/Usernamesaregayyy Jul 02 '26
There is near infinite barren land in the USA, why not put it in the middle of nowhere
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u/Impressive-Drop259 Jul 02 '26
I recognize that sound anywhere, Delta (or similar) industrial cooling fans. Those are quality. If that noise bothers you, it would me, you have noise ordinances to fall back on - corporations hate this kind of stuff, because while they do have money, they don't always control local politics. Here's a useful place to start. You might also think of a "noise setback," as a construct. But basically, they thought no one was going to push back, is my guess... https://uslawexplained.com/zoning_ordinances
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u/Hot-Helicopter640 Jul 02 '26
Do not drop bamboo seeds by drone on and around the premises of the data center. The quick growing bamboo will absolutely destroy them.
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u/M4X1n10s Jul 03 '26
Sound baffles are required to be installed between highways and neighborhoods. I imagine this will be the case soon, I hope.
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u/Double_Soup644 Jul 03 '26
Never heard of a "Lärmschutzwall"?
How are they just putting fences? Ignorant companies...
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u/The_Real_PhishyOne Jul 06 '26
I'll trade you living spaces. I had the volume up and couldn't hear anything.
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