Data Centers

Connecticut currently does not have any large scale AI data centers. State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk, wants to keep it that way, for now.

Instead of building a new data center from scratch, old buildings and data centers can get upgraded to handle the power and cooling needs of the computer chips that make AI work.

In much of the country, the AI boom is driving the construction of hyperscale data centers. Not so much in New England. But change is coming. Here's how some in the region are preparing.

Popular chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT are powered by models trained on enormous amounts of information, which means spending billions on vast data centers that take more power and water than entire cities. Instead, roboticists like Matthias Scheutz are thinking small. They’re designing AI systems compact enough to fit on a single computer chip.

Towns and cities across the region are using tools of local control to slow or stop data center development within their borders.

Across New England, data center opponents say they don’t trust the artificial intelligence industry

The week of Oct. 19, 2026, New England News Collaborative stations will explore some of the reasons why the AI data center boom hasn't reached New England — at least not yet— in a special series called Awaiting Data.

Without a permit extension, the proposed 150-acre data center campus has no path forward.

Proponents say data centers could provide a path for industry to pay for needed upgrades to the local electric grid. Opponents say they suck up resources and send money out of state.

Public records show the owner of former coal-powered plant Merrimack Station are seeking an assessment for turning the property into a data center.