Authorizing the Committee on Technology and Information Services to hold hearings exploring the context of data center development and operations in the Philadelphia region, the demand for technology infrastructure to support increased use of digital services, and the impacts of its development on Philadelphia's communities.

Authorizing the Committee on Technology and Information Services to hold hearings exploring the context of data center development and operations in the Philadelphia region, the demand for technology infrastructure to support increased use of digital services, and the impacts of its development on Philadelphia’s communities. WHEREAS, Data centers are specialized facilities that house computing, storage, and network equipment used by cloud providers, enterprises, government agencies, and research institutions which are critical to the tech industry; and WHEREAS, Data centers support the digital economy, enabling services such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, telemedicine, and critical public information systems; and WHEREAS, Having a forward-looking strategy concerning online infrastructure, including data centers, signals a commitment to the future of the technology industry locally, with impacts for the startup community, technology sector, and the possibility for high-skilled jobs offering family sustaining wages; and WHEREAS, Data centers consume large amounts of electricity, produce substantial heat, and require cooling, backup power, and resilient infrastructure. A recent academic assessment of U.S. data centers found that they currently account for more than 4% of total U.S. electricity consumption, with 56% of that electricity derived from fossil fuels, yielding more than 105 million metric tons of CO2e per year; and WHEREAS, National s…