This session will facilitate a candid, high-stakes dialogue on the expanding footprint of digital infrastructure, specifically focusing on the "if" and the "how" of co-locating data centers in historically excluded communities. While data centers are the backbone of the modern economy, they often land in marginalized neighborhoods as extractive "black boxes" that consume massive amounts of power and water while offering little to the local residents.

This session moves beyond standard corporate sustainability talk to examine the full lifecycle of a data center through an environmental justice lens. Experts from the development, scientific, and standards communities will walk attendees through the realities of siting, addressing the noise, heat, and resource demands, while exploring radical new models for community centric co-location.