Waters across Turtle Island – face a new threat: hyperscale data centers. These massive computing facilities are being built at an alarming rate, consuming millions of gallons of water a day and threatening Mother Earth. Data centers are the next frontline of water protection.

Behind every AI-generated image and every swift chatbot reply are these colossal, energy-guzzling data centers, and tech companies are targeting tribal and rural lands for their construction. Indigenous, Black, and Brown peoples pay the price for the convenience of AI while others profit. This isn’t new. Experimental technologies that rely on extraction are almost always built at the expense of Indigenous, Black, and Brown communities. We pay the price for the convenience of AI while others profit. 

Tribal lands are being targeted because large tech companies don’t believe rural, coal-dependent communities have the resources or leverage to fight back. Today’s crop of exploitative corporations has underestimated the power of our Peoples when we work together.

Honor the Earth is organizing with the Northern Cheyenne to fight back against a proposed nuclear site, uranium enrichment site, nuclear waste storage, and a massive data center behind these proposed extractive projects. This isn’t isolated to Northern Cheyenne territory. Across Turtle Island, communities are fighting back against tech companies trying to build their fortunes with artificial intelligence, and we are supporting them.

We’ve launched a No Data Center Coalition led by Water Protectors from across Turtle Island, and have resources like our Data Center Tracker and Fact Sheet (see below).

The fight for clean water and Land Back continues at full force in the face of new and evolving threats like data centers and AI technology. It’s going to be a long fight, and we’re going to need all the help we can get.  

Let’s build an Indigenous Future, together.

Is there a data center being built on your land? Contact us at info@honorearth.org to get support!