A pause in AI's hometown: San Francisco halts new data centres for 45 days
Mayor Daniel Lurie has signed a moratorium that the Board of Supervisors passed unanimously. During the pause, the city is to draw up rules on power, water and residents' say.
Archive image · Photo: Dllu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
San Francisco is not allowing new data centres for now. Mayor Daniel Lurie has signed a citywide moratorium that initially runs for 45 days, the San Francisco Standard reported on Friday. The Board of Supervisors had unanimously approved Supervisor Shamann Walton's measure the week before; it would have taken effect even without Lurie's signature. According to the paper, the pause could be extended to up to 22 months.
Walton points to gaps in the planning rules: the city's zoning code lacks a real definition of data centres. Earlier reporting by the paper found that the Planning Department did not even know how many exist in the city; the directory Data Center Map lists at least six, two of them in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighbourhood. Walton wants transparency about water and energy demand, enforceable community benefits and a real chance for residents to weigh in before projects are approved.
During the 45 days, the Planning Department is to study the impact of data centres and draw up controls. Lurie said the city would "develop a thoughtful, responsible framework" centred on community needs, low electricity rates, and clean water and air.