OSAKA - Residents in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture, have asked the city to take a more active role in explaining and reviewing plans for a large data center to be built on the former site of Osaka University's Minoh Campus, citing concerns over low-frequency noise, loss of sunlight and other potential effects on daily life.
A group of residents from the Madani residential area in eastern Minoh submitted a petition to the city on August 24, calling for explanations and verification of the redevelopment project.
The planned facility is a data center designed to handle information processing for services including generative artificial intelligence.
Data centers consume large amounts of electricity for complex computing operations and require extensive equipment to cool the heat generated by servers. They are also typically equipped with emergency generators to maintain operations during power outages.
Demand for such facilities is increasing as generative AI becomes more widely used, but data center projects have also prompted concerns among nearby residents over noise, waste heat and other environmental effects.
Similar concerns have surfaced elsewhere in the Kansai region. Video recorded three years ago in Seika, Kyoto Prefecture, showed black smoke that was said to have been emitted during testing of an emergency generator at a data center.
A resident in the area questioned the environmental impact, saying such facilities could have a significant effect on people living nearby.
In Minoh, the planned data center site lies immediately beside the quiet, green Madani residential district.
According to documents obtained by Yomiuri Telecasting Corp., two large data center buildings are planned for the former Osaka University Minoh Campus site. One of the structures is expected to be about 31 meters high, creating what residents describe as a large wall directly beside the neighborhood.
Minoh City owns the redevelopment site and selected the project operator through a public application process.
The operator has already obtained development approval and begun demolishing former university buildings. The data centers are scheduled to be completed in or after 2030.
Residents living nearby have raised concerns that the height of the planned buildings could block sunlight reaching their homes.
One resident said morning sunlight currently enters the property from the direction of the redevelopment site and expressed concern that this could be lost once the approximately 31-meter structure is built.
Others are worried about the possible effects of noise generated by the facility.
One resident said, "I am concerned about the effects of low-frequency noise on the body, such as insomnia."
The petition was submitted by the Madani residential neighborhood association, whose chairman, Uesawa, said residents want Minoh City to listen directly to their concerns and provide sufficient explanations about the project.
Uesawa said residents do not want explanations to be left entirely to ESR, the company advancing the development.
"We want Minoh City to reflect residents' opinions and listen to us," Uesawa said. "There are many voices asking the city to sincerely provide answers to residents about safety and peace of mind."
Minoh City said it would review the contents of the petition and "consider the matter sincerely."
The project operator said it has held briefing sessions and opportunities for dialogue with residents over the past several months.
"We will continue constructive dialogue with local residents while working closely with Minoh City and the relevant authorities," the company said.
Data center construction is expanding across the Kansai region as demand for generative AI and other digital services grows, bringing increasingly large computing facilities closer to residential communities.
Source: YOMIURI
