Data centers and their impact on power in South Carolina [Video]

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In the debate over South Carolina’s growing energy needs, a focal point has been the discussion of data centers. 

Data centers are typically large, windowless buildings filled with rows of computer servers. They help run technologies like artificial intelligence and 5G video streaming.

“Everything that’s in the cloud has to be stored somewhere,” explained Ford Graham, a consultant with McGuireWoods, a legal and public affairs firm. 

He’s helped site several data centers in South Carolina. 

“Data centers at the moment are looking across the country at opportunities to build new facilities,” Graham said. “South Carolina is obviously part of that and is seeing a lot of interest.”

South Carolina has at least nine data centers already, with four more on the way. But with all the high tech comes a high need for energy. Nationally, 2,700 data centers consumed 4% of …