Some of the most significant innovations in technology have become common to the point of monotony in only a few decades. It’s easy to take daily actions like texting, streaming movies and shows and using apps on our smartphones for granted, but almost all online activity taps into a vast infrastructure of data in order to operate the way consumers have come to expect.
While this infrastructure is invisible, it does have a physical home. Data centers are facilities filled with thousands of computers that work constantly to store and process information. They are also rapidly becoming an immediate and critical question of public policy. As data usage increases – and as new technologies require more data to operate – demand for the construction and maintenance of data centers is on the rise.
As many have noticed, Georgia is a hub for data centers, which are essential to the expanding infrastructure of technology. However, data centers require no small amount of space and natural resources to operate. This often creates difficult trade-offs between competing interests.
Mid-size data centers can range from 20,000 to 100,000 square feet, but larger hyperscale centers, such as Google’s in Douglas County, can take up over a million square feet. Their servers require electricity and cooling to operate, just like a personal computer but on a much larger scale. This means massive air conditioning, ventilation and liquid cooling systems to prevent overheating. They also require a power structure that can deliver uninterrupted electricity.
These hefty land, water and power requirements lead to important policy questions and trade-offs for Georgians as data centers grow as an industry in the state.
We talk about those issues in this week’s commentary. We also have the latest news and analysis from the last week, including:
- Labor shortage still a concern for Georgia’s small businesses
- Most school districts opted out of tax break
- Work begins on Georgia Power battery storage systems
- Georgia rural hospitals tax credit program fully subscribed
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest
WATCH: Georgia takes steps to curb lawsuit abuse
In this new video, we look at Senate Bills 68 and 69 — two major tort reform bills designed to make our legal system fairer, more transparent, and less costly for everyday Georgians.
Despite bureaucracy and NIMBYs, Georgia’s infrastructure wins one
Between red tape piled to the sky and NIMBYs hunting down every proposal to build anything, anywhere, you’d be forgiven for thinking we simply can’t build things anymore. So, it’s worth noting successes when they happen — and Georgia has a very substantial success to celebrate.
Why Georgia is celebrating Microschool Week
Many wondered if the surge in homeschooling during the pandemic would be just a passing trend. While the explosive year-over-year growth we saw in the early 2020s has slowed, homeschooling has firmly established itself as a mainstream education option. More families are choosing homeschooling not just out of necessity, but because they see the benefits.
Expanding student choices is one of the best things a state can do
Georgia’s Promise Scholarship just completed its initial application window, and interest was strong. While state officials are still reviewing applications, we know thousands of parents applied for $6,500 to help them move their children from public school to another educational setting that fits them better. While many wonder if this will help their children, a new study shows that these programs don’t just help those who leave public schools, they help those who remain in public school.
Georgia slips in economic rankings despite growth
For years, Georgia has steadily improved in many ways. But other states are improving even faster. That’s the upshot of the 2025 edition of “Rich States, Poor States.” This annual publication measuring states’ economic outlook and performance came out on Tax Day – and it shows Georgia losing ground in the uber-competitive race among states.
Southern tax reckoning: Georgia risks falling behind
Georgia is used to sitting at the top of the regional heap: the Empire State of the South, home to the unofficial capital of the South, even the “best state to do business” for umpteen years running. But when you occupy that perch, others try to dethrone you. Some of their efforts ought to jolt Georgia out of any complacency it may suffer.
The Latest
Economy
Labor shortage still a concern for Georgia’s small businesses
Just over a third of the nation’s small businesses are struggling to find qualified employees, and some of that pain is felt in Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp signed three bills targeting workforce development last week. Senate Bill 193 creates an adult workforce diploma through the state’s technical colleges for adults between the ages of 21 to 30. Another bill would extend the Dual Achievement Program another five years while another expands the High Demand Apprenticeship Program.
South African software firm sees Atlanta as hub for future U.S. growth
When Adrien Erasmus started flying to the U.S. from Cape Town for business, he inevitably found himself coming through Atlanta. The new nonstop flight, launched in late 2022 after a concerted push by local boosters, opened doors for Warp Development, a 23-year-old venture providing outsourced software development and managed IT services to a range of clients, from startups to sophisticated corporates.
Atlanta budget gives a glimpse into the future economy
The Atlanta City Council is beginning budget hearings amid concerns about what the future holds. The 2026 fiscal year general fund budget proposed by Mayor Andre Dickens’ office is $975 million, an increase from $854 million in the fiscal year 2025 budget.
Education
Most GA school districts opted out of tax break. New law gives chances to change course
Nearly 70% of Georgia’s 180 public school districts opted out of House Bill 581, a new statewide homestead exemption law created to provide property tax relief for homeowners, according to the latest data from the Secretary of State’s office. Voters approved the law during last year’s general election to cap property tax increases on the assessed value of homestead properties at the rate of inflation, with school districts given a one-time chance to opt out by March 1.
This long-neglected law can help parents get their kids out of violent schools
The Department of Education published a letter reminding states of a little-known school choice provision that allows students attending dangerous public schools to enroll in another public school or charter school in their district. The provision, called the Unsafe School Choice Option, was originally passed as part of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act and was continued under the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act.
The high-school juniors with $70,000-a-year job offers
Increased efforts to recruit high-schoolers into professions such as plumbing, electrical work and welding have helped spur a revitalization of shop classes in many districts. More businesses are teaming up with high schools to enable students to work part-time, earning money as well as academic credit. More employers are showing up at high school career days and turning to creative recruiting strategies, as well.
This Augusta hospital plans $150 million in improvements
Doctors Hospital will be the Augusta area’s newest medical facility to become a teaching hospital to help overcome Georgia’s continuing shortage of health professionals. The $6.7 million to develop new Graduate Medical Education programs is part of more than $150 million in renovations and improvements to the HCA Healthcare facility, the hospital has announced.
UGA research farm breaks ground in Perry
University of Georgia officials broke ground Friday on a research farm next to the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. The 250-acre Grand Farm will serve as a hub for research, education, and sustainable farming practices. Innovative technology, including precision agriculture, robotics and data analysis will be used to increase productivity while conserving resources.
Energy
Work begins on Georgia Power battery storage systems
Construction is underway on battery energy storage systems at four locations across the state, Georgia Power officials announced Wednesday. The state Public Service Commission voted late last year to certify the four projects, which will add 765 megawatts of electrical generating capacity to the Atlanta-based utility’s energy supply portfolio. One megawatt is enough electricity to power 750 homes.
Data center developer plans Georgia campus worth at least $16B, CEO says
A data center developer announced plans to build one of Georgia’s largest computer server farms, a 20-building campus that will require more power than one of Plant Vogtle’s nuclear reactors. T5 Data Centers is pursuing a 1.2-gigawatt campus on an undisclosed site in Georgia, company CEO Pete Marin, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview. The project will be the Buckhead-based company‘s fourth in Georgia and its largest by a wide margin, likely worth at least $16 billion, Marin said.
180-day moratorium placed on data centers in Coweta County
The Coweta County Board of Commissioners placed a moratorium on data centers as county staff prepares a data center ordinance to regulate developments within the county. Chairman Bill McKenzie suggested the moratorium at the commissioner’s work session Tuesday afternoon, and it was approved that night at their regular meeting.
Government Accountability
Georgia farmers will get Hurricane Helene disaster relief ‘soon,’ official says
Several months after relief funding was passed for the farmers hurt by the historically-damaging Hurricane Helene, those impacted got an answer as to when they’ll see their approved money from the federal government. The hurricane, which killed 227 people across multiple states, swept through Georgia in September. It left weeks-long power outages, destroyed property and tens of thousands of damaged farmland in its wake.
Wall Street landlords face scrutiny from both sides — here’s why that matters in Georgia
Institutional investors who vacuumed up single family homes when prices cratered after the Great Recession are drawing more political heat as renters complain about the impact. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia announced he is launching inquiries with several of the top companies in the sector. State Republican lawmakers have also targeted the housing industry, illustrating the political traction of the issue.
Georgia rural hospitals tax credit program fully subscribed
Georgia’s rural hospitals tax credit program is continuing to prove popular with Georgians who want to help financially struggling hospitals across the state in return for a tax break. Taxpayers contributed $74.3 million to eligible rural hospitals last year, nearly reaching the $75 million statewide cap on the program. Thirty-four of the 54 eligible hospitals received more than $1 million each, while 11 took in less than $500,000.
Stone Mountain mayor accused of mishandling city’s bank account
Stone Mountain Mayor Beverly Jones is facing new allegations about her handling of the city’s bank account after the city council voted on a resolution to remove her authority to make financial decisions for the city. It started when the city manager got an alert from Truist Bank, the city’s bank, about a “potential problem.”
Bonus
ESPN lost 3 percent of its entire subscriber base on its ESPN+ platform since the end of 2024. Importantly, with 24.1 million paid users, the current total subscriber numbers are roughly the same as they were in mid-2022. So in two years, in a time period where interest in sports has continued to grow and the platform has been home to multiple big events, it has gained virtually no new signups. Not great news.
After multiple delays, the REAL ID enforcement deadline is here. This week, the Transportation Security Administration started requiring compliant documentation for adults at U.S. airport security checkpoints. While the scene at multiple airports around the country seems calm, not everyone is ready.
Balls and strikes on American manufacturing: What are the facts?
In his “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, President Trump justified his tariffs by describing America’s manufacturing as “devastated.” Three questions are worth asking. One, what is the state of manufacturing in the United States? Two, are tariffs a solution to what (if anything) ails the manufacturing sector? And three, if not tariffs, what is the alternative?
Quotes of Note
“Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed we possessed.” – Dale Carnegie
“I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.” – Hermann Hesse
“After all, when the world looks to America, they look to us because we are the most successful political and economic experiment in human history.” – Former Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice