Microsoft plans nature-inspired changes at more than 20 data center sites

Microsoft plans to bring nature-inspired restoration and landscaping projects to more than 20 data center sites in the United States and Germany, as it faces criticism over the local effects of its growing facilities.

The company says it will tailor projects to local habitats, with gardens and native trees at data centers and work to restore damaged ecosystems. Microsoft says it will apply the approach to all new projects in the United States and a growing number elsewhere. The effort builds on projects launched at a data center in the Netherlands in 2022.

In San Antonio, Councilmember Ric Galvan says there are more than a dozen data centers in his roughly 55-square-mile district. He expects around 20 over the next few years if proposed projects go ahead. Residents have raised concerns about construction traffic, tree loss, bright lights, noise, water use, and pressure on electricity bills.

Microsoft says it is investing in more than 400 acres of woodland and pollinator prairie restoration in San Antonio. In 2022, it cut down more than 2,600 trees across 33 acres there to build a data center, prompting local controversy alongside zoning and tax-incentive requests.

In Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, Microsoft funded a $4.2 million creek restoration project in 2023 with Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network. The Verge reports that advocates and residents want the company to do more as data center expansion and AI-related energy demand add to environmental concerns. Microsoft says it operates more than 300 data centers in more than 34 countries.