Humming Sounds Reported by Data Center Neighbors
Philadelphia television recently aired that residents living adjacent to Vineland’s new data center are reporting strange “humming” sounds from the factory. Health officials are investigating the noise following complaints.
A protest at Vineland’s Giampietro Park on Saturday, March 21 drew hundreds.
The facility is being built to support the need for infrastructure for artificial intelligence development. Microsoft contracted with owners Data One/Nebius for $17.1 billion in server capacity when the project is built out. Immediacy in bringing capacity online is critical in the competition in artificial intelligence between Microsoft, Google, Anthropic, Open AI, Meta and others, according to industry sources.
Data One officials, led by Founder/CEO Charles-Antoine Beyney, have stated the goal of building a gigawatt (GW) scale factory. There are about a dozen of these under construction in the world. The earliest one predicted to come fully online (in summer 2026) is in Abeline, Texas (1.2GW) and owned by Open AI. The largest projected center, at 3GW, is under construction in India.
Many local observers and officials have expressed support for the project, which is estimated by some to be the largest data center in the state. They believe it puts Vineland front and center in the worldwide artificial intelligence technology revolution.
The noise story was also circulated in regional media, particularly radio, and a video containing a steady sound posted by environmentalist group Sustain SJ got wide attention on social media and was released on YouTube.
“It’s just been very annoying; it’s unsettling because you can hear it right now, and you want to sit out here and relax,” resident Scott Montgomery told ABC News.
In a statement released to the media, Cumberland County Health Department said, “We have responded to many concerns and have made several visits to the area in question to measure sound levels. While complainants have shared where they believe the noise is coming from, our staff is working to confirm the exact source of the noise.”
“Our site is operating in full compliance with Vineland City noise ordinance limits,” Data One said in a statement. “We will continue deploying sound reduction measures to minimize any impact on our neighbors.”
