Schwartzman Part of Team Awarded $1 Million Sloan Foundation Grant

Gabe Schwartzman, assistant professor of human geography in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a co-principal investigator of a project funded through a $1 million Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant. The three-year collaborative research project will track and monitor the development of data centers in Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia and their impact on rural communities. The southern United States has become the fastest-growing part of the country for the development of the centers, which manage data for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.

The project will study how utilities such as the Tennessee Valley Authority respond to increased energy demand and the social implications of new energy infrastructure. By comparing their findings across states, the researchers aim to understand how different policies, regulations and utility systems shape both the development of data centers and the effects they have on systems and communities.

"There is a boom in data centers being built across the Southeast and central Appalachia right now, alongside new mostly fossil fuel energy infrastructure," said Schwartzman, who studies energy transition and rural development. "TVA alone has proposed nine new methane gas plants and three pipelines since 2020, several of which are already under construction, as well as several advanced nuclear energy projects. These projects raise the question of what kind of energy will power the data center boom, who will pay for the costs of energy buildouts and who will bear the burden of new pollution sources."

Two associate professors from Emory University are co-principal investigators on the grant: sociocultural anthropologist Kristin Phillips and environmental and human geographer Jola Ajibade. UT assistant professor of human geography Nikki Luke, who studies energy and labor politics, and energy consultant Cathy Kunkel from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis will serve as consultants.

"Electricity demand is increasing for the first time in decades because of data centers," said Luke. "There are a lot of concerns about the impact data centers will have on land, water, climate and energy bills as well as the effects AI will have on the workforce. Over the next three years, we look forward to researching this growing industry to understand what it will mean for Tennessee and the broader Southeast region."

As part of the study, the team will respond to community needs by reporting on the energy demands of data centers for specific communities so residents can understand how the new developments affect their utility rates.

"Tennesseans should have the best possible research at hand as they weigh the costs and benefits of inviting data center developments into their communities," said Schwartzman. "We're excited to be able to study such a rapidly developing new piece of the energy and economic landscape here in Tennessee."

Provided by University of Tennessee at Knoxville