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Developer unveils plans for AI data center to support an 'innovation campus' in downtown Oakland
Plans were unveiled for a brand-new 20,000-square-foot artificial intelligence data center in downtown Oakland, sparking debate among local residents over economic growth and environmental impacts.
Slated for AI redevelopment
OAKLAND, Calif. - Plans were unveiled on Tuesday for a brand-new 20,000-square-foot artificial intelligence data center in downtown Oakland, sparking debate among local residents over economic growth and environmental impacts.
The developer behind the project, Behring Companies, plans to redevelop a former supercomputer facility previously owned by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The building is located at 415 20th Street, just two blocks from the historic Fox Theater.
Linking infrastructure to a local innovation campus
The data center will directly support research at Stack Ventures, a 1.3-million-square-foot ‘innovation campus’ located a block away at 1900 Broadway. The expansive facility offers housing, office space, and facilities for AI and robotics companies.
In a statement provided to KTVU, Behring Companies highlighted the broader vision for the project:
"The real story is what that infrastructure supports… a center of gravity where companies can set up shop, hire locally, and grow right here in Oakland instead of somewhere else. That means real jobs, new residents living downtown, and a level of energy and investment in the city that we think Oakland has been missing."
Residents express mixed reactions
Similar data center developments across the United States have faced scrutiny over their heavy usage of electricity and water, as well as their overall environmental footprint. In Oakland, residents offered varied reactions to news of the project.
"I don’t feel like I have enough information to have a positive or negative take, but to me, immediately when I hear data centers, my prickles go up, my red flags go up," said Oakland resident Alix. "Just because I know around the U.S. data centers are going up without the knowledge of the citizens who live nearby those data centers."
Other community members expressed optimism regarding the potential for economic revitalization in the downtown core.
"We definitely need more businesses," said Lavarion, another Oakland resident. "It’s hard to say, because I don’t know so much about the data center, but yeah, any business to bring more jobs and revenue, why not."
It remains unclear when construction on the AI data center will be completed. Behring Companies stated that additional details regarding the project timeline will be shared soon.
The Source: ehring Companies, Oakland residents