There is no shortage of noise being generated around data centers by project critics spouting misinformation. In a recent class-action lawsuit filed in federal court against data center builder and operator DataOne USA, a handful of New Jersey residents claim that a nearby facility emits “a very loud industrial noise;” they say it “sounds like a helicopter hovering, loud fans like you’re at an airport.”
This case — and others that will inevitably follow — have far more to do with enriching trial lawyers than quieting loud noises. While data centers make some sounds (like most things in this world), the evidence shows that these noises are well within normal and safe ranges for humans. The anti-progress camp and their friends in the trial bar ought to pipe down and let data centers keep humming along.
The “data centers are noisy” trope has been frequently raised… and debunked. According to a sweeping 2024 review by the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, noise from data centers — even at facilities that have generated resident complaints — is generally comparable to ordinary background sounds and substantially quieter than many common activities.
JLARC found that reported noise levels at selected data centers with complaints typically ranged from 40 to 59 decibels, placing them below the level of a normal conversation at 3 feet (about 60 decibels) and far below louder everyday noises such as lawn mowers (around 90 decibels) or aircraft takeoffs (around 130 decibels). These findings suggest that while data center noise may be noticeable in some circumstances, it is little more than a whisper compared to the high-intensity sounds commonly associated with significant noise pollution.
Noise levels associated with data centers are closer to the quiet ambient sounds experienced in residential and institutional settings, such as libraries (around 30 decibels), than to sounds considered harmful to human hearing. For context, government agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration consider 85 decibels the crucial regulatory threshold for harmfully loud sounds. Local concerns about noise remain important and warrant thoughtful mitigation measures where appropriate, but that’s true of any externality-producing sound. The inconvenient truth for trial lawyers is that, even if data centers were sued out of existence, most other conceivable uses of that land would involve more noise and disruption. That’s true whether data centers are turned into industrial plants or even if the land is refashioned into playgrounds filled with screaming children. The noise weary should be careful what they wish for.
The ill-informed shouting over data center noise is just the summit of a Matterhorn of misinformation surrounding these projects. As the Taxpayers Protection Alliance has noted, claims that data centers are gobbling up power or draining the rivers dry just don’t hold water. For example, TPA’s analysis of data centers in Maryland concluded that they accounted for just 0.06% of all water consumption in the state in 2025. Data centers comprised only 2.5% of all Maryland electricity consumption in 2025, making these operations an unlikely culprit behind power bill spikes. These figures are unlikely to change significantly in the coming years. As artificial intelligence researcher and policy analyst Andy Masley notes, “in 2030, AI in data centers specifically will be using 0.08% of America’s freshwater. This means it will rise to the level of 5% of America’s current water used on golf courses, or 5% of U.S. steel production, or be about 173 square miles of irrigated corn farms.”
OPINION: BUILD THE CLOUD HERE, OR CHINA WILL THERE
And, perhaps counterintuitively, states with high load growth are seeing power price declines in inflation-adjusted dollars.
The truth is far more complicated than data center opponents make it out to be. Policymakers need to drown out the noise and embrace a light-touch approach to these innovative projects.
Ross Marchand is the executive director of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.