With Atlanta ranked as the nation’s No. 2 market for data center development, the South Metro region is at the center of both opportunity and a growing dilemma over balance.

Many of the approximately 50 proposed data center projects across the metro Atlanta region would be located in South Fulton — an area where “the land is most available, and the land is most affordable,” said Anna Roach, executive director of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Data centers were a focal point of the South Metro Atlanta Outlook Conference, held Feb. 11 at the Georgia International Convention Center, where government officials, leaders from business, tech and academic worlds discussed economic opportunity and growth.

South Metro is a region where residents want the same quality of life, amenities and economic development experienced in North Metro communities.

Roach, a speaker at the conference, said the Atlanta Regional Commission is helping local government officials navigate community impacts associated with data centers, related infrastructure, and supplemental power sources such as battery energy storage facilities.

The ARC encourages communities to consider buffers between data centers and residential neighborhoods, and light and noise ordinances, given that data centers operate 24 hours a day.

Georgia Power expects electricity demand to increase by about 40 percent as data centers come online, requiring an estimated 10,000 megawatts of new capacity through a mix of battery storage systems, solar energy and natural gas plants.

During the conference, Georgia Power CEO Kim Greene reiterated that data center customers would bear all of the energy costs needed to serve them and that base rates for existing customers are frozen for the next three years.

That message was reinforced this week when the Public Service Commission rejected pressure by Southface Institute, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, the Sierra Club and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, which sought reconsideration of the commission’s approval to add the 10,000 megawatts of new capacity.

The groups argued in their petition that costs could ultimately be passed on to customers and that there is no guarantee all proposed data center projects will materialize.

“This commission has made it clear that customers will not be bearing any cost of new data centers coming to the system,” said Jason Shaw, chairman of the Public Service Commission, on Wednesday.

How does the AI data center boom intersect with job security?

The expansion of data centers is driven by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, which has fueled concerns about job security. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman said that within 18 months, even white-collar jobs could be at risk as AI advances automate professional tasks. He said roles such as project managers, marketers and accountants could be fully automated within a year to a year and a half.

Tech leaders at the South Metro conference had a differing view, saying they see job opportunities emerging with the growth of data centers.

Trina Clark James, with Microsoft TechSpark community engagement team, said hundreds of jobs are needed for skilled trade operations, including employment opportunities that do not yet exist.

Microsoft is partnering with West Georgia Technical College to provide workforce training focused on data center operations, she said.

“We all need to be able to thrive within this AI economy,” Clark James added.

David McCall, a brand specialist with QTS Data Centers, said hundreds of workers are employed across four buildings at the company’s Jefferson Street facility.

“We don’t need less technicians, we need more technicians,” McCall said. “There are so many different entry points. It’s an incredible opportunity.”

QTS also built a massive data center on 615 acres in Fayetteville. According to the Fayette County Development Authority, property taxes for that project amounted to more than $1 million in 2024. In 2016, property taxes on the then-county-owned land would’ve been $31,000.

Leaders at the conference emphasized that digital technology now shapes nearly every aspect of daily life.

“Artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure are no longer abstract or future-focused, said Carlotta Harrell, chairwoman of the Henry County Board of Commissioners. “They are influencing how decisions are made, how services are delivered and how communities experience growth and investment… The implications are immediate and far-reaching.”

Much like manufacturing plants in the 1950s, data centers are influencing infrastructure, land use and the way communities will look for decades to come.

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