Post 1 – Intro
I’ve been thinking about the discussions that have been showing up in the Page News & Courier the last few weeks about the prospect of a data center in Page County. I submitted a letter to the PNC, but in case they don’t pick it up –
I guess the use of words like “bickering” and “playing on the internet” in last week’s paper have finally set me off, so I have a series of posts ready to put up over the next few days, based on some things I’ve learned being around the data center industry the last few years.
Data center technology and processes change very fast, so examining risks and understanding the deal thoroughly are critical. My research has convinced me that this is a prospect to approach with eyes wide open, frankly skeptical of buying into the concept as a panacea that will easily cure all economic problems.
To be honest, as well intentioned as those involved in this prospect may be, it is hard to believe that anyone is entertaining the concept of building one of these high risk, high cost facilities in Page County. My letter to PNC is brief so it fits their guidelines; in these posts, I’ll focus on three elements of my concerns: the competition, the costs, and how quickly the technology for data centers is changing.
I don’t think anybody is doing anything intentionally wrong, and I would never presume to suggest that. The industry just changes so fast. Technology has changed this much since the idea first came up, and this just seems to be a case where the due diligence has to be thorough and accurate.
It’s probably best to be prudent, don’t you think?
The County is just stretched so thin, in so many ways, I don’t think Page County is ready to swing for the fences in the data center industry. It is hard to imagine that such a high risk, high cost idea is the one that is going to save our bacon. There are many low risk, low cost goals and objectives in the EDA Strategic Plan that are being ignored because of the data center discussions. Why not pick a few of these and go for some solid base hits.
Next Post – The Competiton
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