Manjeet Rege, professor of software engineering and data science at the University of St. Thomas, spoke Adam Llorens with FOX 9’s “Afternoon Shift” about Google’s proposed data center in Hermantown, Minnesota. Rege explained that rising demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence is driving rapid expansion of data centers, which require significant energy and cooling resources. He said the project could bring economic benefits, including jobs and tax revenue, while also raising questions about long-term impacts on local infrastructure and the environment.
From the conversation:
Llorens: What do you see as the potential benefits of Google potentially opening up this data center in Hermantown?
Rege: There are significant upsides. First is jobs in the short term. There are jobs created while the data center is being constructed, including construction-related jobs and HVAC-related jobs.
Then once the data center is operational, there are some, I wouldn’t say a large number, but at least a modest number of high-paying tech jobs related to IT infrastructure management and data security.
The other benefit is revenue. Wherever you put a data center, the local government sees an influx of funds in terms of tax revenue, which can help the local community, schools, and other services.
Llorens: Why do you think Google is targeting the city of Hermantown, Minnesota, of all places? Is there something attractive about Minnesota’s economy?
Rege: Yeah, absolutely. When you think about Minnesota, first of all, our cooler temperatures help with air cooling of the data centers. Minnesota also has a very stable regional power grid, and there is availability of land near transmission lines and highways.
Also, from Google’s point of view, this data center can become a central node in its AI and IT infrastructure. Companies like Google want to diversify their data centers, and Minnesota’s geographic location allows them to serve customers on the East Coast, West Coast, and the Midwest.
Llorens: That’s a really interesting point about location. What do you think is next in this project?
Rege: We will see a lot of demand for data centers in general. Meta also has a data center nearby in Rosemount. This trend is going to increase.
I think Minnesota has an opportunity to be proactive and not negotiate each data center individually. We could set statewide expectations around environmental impact and innovation.
If we do something like that at a state level, it would be more consistent across communities, instead of companies negotiating behind closed doors. It could lead to a more open conversation as well.
