Proposed DeSoto County AI data center raises questions about noise impacts

ARCADIA, Fla. (WINK) — While much of the public debate surrounding a proposed artificial intelligence data center campus in DeSoto County has focused on water use, another concern continues to resonate with nearby residents: noise.

At public meetings, residents have questioned whether the constant hum commonly associated with large data centers could alter the rural character of the area if the project moves forward.

"The noise is like a low hum," said Arcadia resident Megan Markey.

Markey and other residents point to examples from existing data centers around the country, where nearby homeowners have complained about persistent sound generated by facility operations.

According to Dr. Huzefa Kagdi, dean of the U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University, data center noise can come from multiple sources operating simultaneously.

"The sound is generated, or noise, however you put it, is generated from quite a few components," Kagdi said.

He explained that servers, industrial cooling systems and electrical infrastructure all contribute to the overall sound profile of a facility.

"We talked about servers, they produce some sound. Then the industrial-grade fans in the cooling system generate noise. When we look at the power supply, you could have transformers that produce noise or sound," Kagdi said.

Kagdi said cooling fans often generate what engineers classify as high-frequency noise.

"When you look at the fans, that noise is what they call high-frequency noise. It's loud, it's high on the decibel scale, but it doesn't travel that far," he said.

According to Kagdi, developers can often reduce high-frequency noise through relatively straightforward mitigation measures, including concrete sound walls, vegetative buffers or forests surrounding a facility.

"You can have mitigation as simple as a concrete wall or a forest surrounding your data center," Kagdi said.

However, he said residents' concerns frequently center on a different type of sound: the low-frequency hum associated with transformers and electrical equipment.

"Going back to the transformer types of noise, that hum — those waves are bigger, and they can travel a distance," Kagdi said.

Unlike higher-frequency sounds, low-frequency noise can travel significantly farther and is more difficult to block with traditional barriers.

"They can go up to maybe a couple of miles," Kagdi said. "They can't really be blocked by a concrete wall. They would bounce off."

To address those challenges, Kagdi said facilities may require more advanced mitigation measures, including acoustic barriers, shrouds and specialized venting systems.

"You have to put maybe acoustic barriers like shrouds, the louvers, the vents that you put in your venting system," he said.

Kagdi also referenced a proposed noise limit associated with the first phase of the DeSoto County project.

"I know, going back to the proposal, if I remember correctly, they have this limit set, at least in phase one, of 55 decibels," he said.

He noted that the figure is based on Environmental Protection Agency guidance but cautioned that decibel measurements do not always capture how disruptive a sound may feel to nearby residents.

"That number comes from EPA," Kagdi said.

Because data centers operate continuously, Kagdi said concerns about noise extend beyond hearing damage and into broader quality-of-life considerations.

"These things are running 24/7," he said.

While he said noise at those levels is not expected to cause permanent hearing loss, continuous exposure may still affect residents.

"That is not about hearing loss, but it could induce maybe other things, like sleep deprivation," Kagdi said.

He added that some guidance from the World Health Organization recommends nighttime outdoor noise levels between 40 and 45 decibels near residential areas.

Representatives with DCIP Group, the company proposing the AI data center campus, acknowledged that noise remains one of the top concerns raised by residents.

"I think there are a lot of concerns today, primarily about water and about noise, and those are legitimate concerns, and they're concerns that are being actively addressed in a sustainable manner," said Erica Robinson, speaking on behalf of DCIP Group.

The company says a formal sound study is currently underway. During a recent public meeting, company representatives said the results will be shared publicly once completed.

"When results are ready, we will share them with you publicly and in person," a representative said while reading a statement from DCIP CEO John Brown.

When asked by WINK News for additional details regarding projected decibel levels, mitigation strategies or preliminary findings, Robinson said the study remains in progress.

"They're still in the study space, so I don't have anything to share about that at this point," Robinson said.

For residents on both sides of the debate, the discussion ultimately comes down to balancing economic development with quality of life.

"Do you sacrifice what this could bring to our economy for the comfort of a few? That's a good question," said Arcadia resident Rodney Amick.

Markey sees the issue differently.

"If you go out into the wilderness, you don't hear the hum. You hear the birds chirping, you hear the insects, you hear nature around you, and that would ruin that," she said. "The low hum is going to ruin that."

If approved, the proposed data center campus would be located in DeSoto County, with the nearest residential community approximately one mile from the project site.