I used to live in a quiet area - now a data centre overlooks my garden

Overlooking the garden of Amanda Young's family home is a data centre.

"It used to be a nice, quiet area," said Amanda, who lives near to one of the large buildings in Newport.

"But with more data centres coming in, we kind of don't know what they're going to bring with them."

Data centres are buildings full of powerful computers used to run digital services, from online banking to movie streaming.

The number of data centres across the UK is on the rise as the growth in artificial intelligence (AI) increases the need for processing power.

The UK government classifies data centres as critical national infrastructure and, according to recent Senedd research, "most jobs in the UK" are now reliant on them.

But concerns have been raised about the large amounts of resources data centres require - including electricity, grid capacity and water - as well as the impact on the local communities where they are built.

Once fully operational, the Vantage Data Center Campus in Newport, south Wales, will include three centres over 46 acres.

Amanda, whose home overlooks the site, said her biggest concern was "the noise, the visual impact and whether it will affect house prices" in her local area.

"Whichever window you look out, you can see it," she said.

"When you're sitting in the lounge, you can actually see it there."

Anthony, who lives near Amanda, said the ongoing construction of the data centre "takes away the peace from the neighbourhood" due to the noise and the extra traffic.

A spokesperson for Vantage Data Center said they were "committed to being a good neighbour", adding they "work closely with local authorities" to "manage construction activity, including traffic, noise and lighting" as well as incorporating "measures designed to protect the local environment".

Newport City Council said, when considering planning applications, it worked to "ensure that the impacts are considered acceptable in terms of biodiversity, light, noise and construction traffic".

In Cardiff, campaigners are concerned about proposals for a data centre campus in Llanrumney, on the site of the Cardiff East Park & Ride which takes passengers to the University Hospital of Wales.

"The park-and-ride is so important," said Sue Elias, who uses the service and has been campaigning against the proposal with the residents' union Acorn.

Elias said she understood the need to build data centres but said "there should be a pause" to consider the most responsible sites.

"They shouldn't just be put up and then worry about the consequences afterwards."

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CVUHB) said the Cardiff East Park & Ride was an "essential transport link", adding that it was "committed to identifying a suitable and convenient alternative location".

The campaigners are also concerned about the potential impact on the environment.

"The data centre planned would be an environmental nightmare both for the wildlife and the local residents," said Lizzie Bailey, who lives locally.

"This will be temporary disruption with the construction but then permanent disruption because of the diesel generators, the noises, the cooling fans, things like that."

Curtis Hall Ltd, the company behind the plans, said the development would "not put a strain on the energy grid or water infrastructure".

The company added: "The data centre's water and drainage requirements have been developed in consultation with Welsh Water and any connection to the public network requires their agreement.

"This ensures our data centre can be accommodated without impacting the supply of water to residents' homes."

It said a "detailed noise impact assessment" concluded the site "won't have adverse impact on the nearest homes in terms of noise, including at night".

Cardiff Council said the proposal was being considered, adding that "as with all planning applications, the proposal will be assessed against relevant planning policies and material planning considerations".

The council encouraged people with "comments, concerns or views" to submit them through the consultation process.

There are currently 568 data centres listed in the UK, according to the data centre map.

Research suggests that number is set to increase by almost a fifth with nine proposed in Wales.

A Senedd Research document recently outlined the opportunities that data centres could bring, including "jobs, investment, skills development and support for innovation".

But it also noted the "significant resource and policy questions they raise", including electricity demand, grid capacity, water use, land requirements, biodiversity and impacts on local communities.

Ofgem said the amount of electricity being requested by data centre projects seeking to connect to the grid had risen from 41GW to 125GW in the past year, reflecting a sharp increase in demand.

Water UK, the trade association for the UK's water industry, estimated that data centres used approximately 6.6 million litres of water per day - the equivalent used by 20,000 average homes.

By some analyses, the UK is already the third-largest nation for data centres behind the US and Germany.

Prof Alan Brown from the University of Exeter, the author of Making AI Work for Britain, said authorities should be "a lot more engaged" with communities about the construction of data centres.

"If that gets bypassed, then of course local residents are going to worry that they're getting all of the pain and none of the benefit."

He said when people understood the implications of a data centre and what it meant for them, "they're more willing to be more flexible".

"I think right now, there's a lack of communication around that."

The environmental group Friends of the Earth is calling for a UK-wide pause on all new data centres.

"We're asking for that pause until there are clear rules set out on how much energy and water data centres can use, to make sure they're not sucking up our much-needed renewables and our clean water," said Kierra Box, from the group.

"We need an idea of how now, and in the future governments are going to determine the individual and the joint impact of all these data centres on the environment, on communities, on nature."

But tech founder Mark John said the development of data centres and AI infrastructure offered "an opportunity for Wales" to "reimagine itself".

"AI, data and data centres are going to be at the forefront of the new Industrial Revolution," said John, co-founder of Tramshed Tech.

"This could be the new frontier technology, in the same way that coal and steel were at the forefront of industrial transformation."

John said he recently travelled to Seattle where a "very senior figure" in the tech industry outlined "that because of AI, the whole way we live our lives is going to change more in the next six months than it has in the previous 10 years".

"That sort of brought it home to me - like it or loathe it, we have to live with it and come to terms with it."

John said data centres would unlock AI capability in Wales, adding that "if we haven't got data centres, we haven't got access to that AI".

"I won't call them a necessary evil but they are a means to an end, if you like."

The UK government said many newer data centres were "already using advanced cooling systems that significantly reduce water consumption, and the data centre sector operates under a Climate Change Agreement to encourage greater uptake of energy efficiency measures amongst operators".

It added: "Data centre planning applications are required to consider the impact on communities and the environment.

"We will enable the development of data centres by building unprecedented amounts of clean power, while our AI Growth Zones support data centre development in areas with access to clean energy."

The Welsh government said it recognised that data centres were "energy intensive", adding that it was important for new developments to make use of technologies to minimise energy and resource consumption.

"Any proposed data centre development remains subject to the existing planning system and environmental regulation, with robust checks and balances in place to ensure that environmental and community impacts are properly considered before consent is granted," it added.

"Investment in data centres has the potential to create new economic opportunities and support skilled employment, while strengthening Wales' attractiveness as a leading destination for advanced digital investment."