Adeel Hassan

New York Times·

8 mins to read

A data centre in Lowell, Massachusetts, is abutted by homes. The site was once the Lowell Bleachery and Dye Works, and then for six decades the Prince Spaghetti factory. Photo / Getty Images

As tech giants rush to build infrastructure, some residents who live near data centres say a constant low-frequency vibration is ruining their health and homes.

The heartbeat of the artificial intelligence economy sounds like a low-frequency thrum of a neighbour’s central air-conditioning unit, an airplane flying overhead at high altitude