Data centers. The backbone of the internet and the modern world. These physical buildings hold the computer systems and information technology needed to store and use data that we use in our daily lives, and are ever more important and needed in the era of AI. Today, there are 5,400 of them around the United States, making us the power-broker in the data and information age. It's estimated that demand for data centers will grow by nearly 10% year over year through the end of the decade. Our sister to the North, Metro Phoenix, is the second-largest hub for data centers, with over 150 of them. Here in Metro Tucson?- Zero (of scale). But that might be about to change.Over the last month, a proposed data center campus has begun the review and approval process with the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Tucson City Council, for location on the Southeast Employment & Logistics Center north of the Pima County Fairgrounds- Project Blue. Project Blue represents an unprecedented $3.6 billion economic development opportunity, and would fund major public investments, and major energy and reclaimed water infrastructure improvements with a unique and rare commitment to stewardship and sustainability. While data centers certainly have negative stigmas, and sometimes deserved, they are not all created equal. In this episode, we explore the 5 major questions the community is asking about this project, and why the answers point to Project Blue as a model for how public-private partnerships can support responsible development of critical digital infrastructure by prioritizing local community needs. 

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