Construction is temporary
A new campus may employ thousands of tradespeople during building work. The wages matter while construction lasts, but they should never be presented as permanent jobs. A press release that combines these two figures without explaining the timeline can create a misleading impression of local job creation.
Count the lasting benefits
Three years after operations begin, compare the original promise with permanent local employees, wage levels, local suppliers, tax revenue, public research or training partnerships, and whether the project provides local access to advanced computing. Include grants, tax breaks and infrastructure investments that governments or utility customers bore.
Count the lasting costs
Ask how electricity costs and grid availability changed, whether water use matched projections, how noise complaints were handled and whether emissions stayed within permit conditions. If the facility is still building out, distinguish current measured use from eventual full capacity.
Put the promises in writing
The strongest public safeguards are published commitments, reporting dates, independent monitoring and consequences if a promise is missed. Residents should be able to find the original forecast beside current results. A three-year review should also publish what remains unknown, because unexplained gaps are findings too.
These explainers separate announced plans, recorded outcomes and unresolved questions. Find individual facility sources and submit corrections in the Observatory.
General background: IEA, Energy and AI. For site-specific claims, consult each facility's source records.