For almost 20 years, the iconic Kansas City Star Press Pavilion has been a facet of the city’s Crossroad Arts District. It is a triangular wedge-shaped building crafted almost entirely out of blue-tinted glass and copper. As drivers travel along Interstate 670, it is hard to miss. The KC Star left the building behind in 2018, and in April of 2024, a vote was taken on whether or not to use the area for a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Team. Alongside concerns about parking and traffic infrastructure, small businesses being vacated, and tax increases, Kansas Citians also did not want to see the building go, and the ballot measure was rejected by voters. Now, it has been confirmed that a company called Patmos is moving in with the goal to create a 100 MegaWatt Data Center centered on artificial intelligence (AI).
Data centers are facilities built for the purpose of handling and directing high volumes of data and data traffic. In order to do so, these facilities are equipped with millions of dollars worth of equipment that powers, stores, processes, and transfers data. As functions that require massive levels of power and data—such as cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence—have become increasingly popular over the last several years, the need for facilities that can handle these requirements has increased as well. There are currently at least 22 data centers in the Kansas City area already, according to Data Center Map, and there are more on the way. Some of the more well-known names with data centers here in Kansas City include Google and Meta. So many data centers are popping up in the Midwest because there is a highly favorable entrepreneurial environment here, with many world-class institutions developing fresh talent in the tech space, low costs of living, and other incentives such as sales tax exemptions, like the one Missouri offers on the millions of dollars of equipment purchased and used in data centers.
As individuals, we must limit our use of AI technologies where we can. Rather than using an AI assistant to craft a well-worded sentence, ask someone to proofread for you. Use a search engine to ask a question and comb through the results yourself. Artificial Intelligence and other advanced technologies have come at us quickly, but it is important to stay informed and engaged to protect ourselves and our environment as these industries move into our neighborhoods, understanding that they come at a cost.
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