Data centers have become one of the most talked-about development issues in New Jersey, especially as residents question how rapidly expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure could affect electricity demand, water use and local communities.
But data centers are not something that may arrive in New Jersey someday. Many are already here — and some are much closer to residential communities than people may realize.
A recent New Jersey Policy Perspective report estimates that the state currently has 48 operating data centers, with another 12 announced or under construction. The exact number varies depending on how a “data center” is defined and whether multiple operators inside the same building are counted separately.
Where Are They?
A large concentration is found in North Jersey, particularly near New York City and major fiber-optic and transportation infrastructure.
Newark is one of the most important locations. The building at 165 Halsey Street alone houses infrastructure used by several data-center and telecommunications companies, including Equinix and DataBank.
Secaucus is another major hub. Data-center facilities can be found along Secaucus Road, Hartz Way, Enterprise Avenue and Meadowlands Parkway. Equinix operates several facilities there, including locations at 275 Hartz Way, 755 Secaucus Road, 800 Secaucus Road and 105 Enterprise Avenue South.
And the list extends well beyond Newark and Secaucus.
Existing facilities are listed in communities including Jersey City, Weehawken, North Bergen, Carlstadt, Hackensack, Clifton, Totowa, Parsippany, Carteret, Edison, Piscataway, Somerset, Bridgewater and East Windsor.
Among the locations listed in industry databases are 95 Christopher Columbus Drive in Jersey City, 300 JFK Boulevard East in Weehawken, 5851 West Side Avenue in North Bergen, 159 Atlantic Street in Hackensack, 3003 Woodbridge Avenue in Edison and several large facilities in Piscataway.
And More Are Being Proposed
The geography is also expanding beyond New Jersey’s traditional data-center corridor.
A major AI data-center project is being developed in Vineland, while CoreWeave has been working on a large facility at the former Merck campus in Kenilworth. Communities including Moorestown and Clinton have also been identified as locations for proposed projects.
In Holmdel, officials voted to ban new data centers in August, although a previously submitted proposal for a 40-megawatt data center at Bell Works may still move through the planning process.
Why the Locations Matter
Data centers can look like ordinary warehouses from the outside, but inside they contain thousands of servers running continuously. As AI and cloud computing expand, the amount of electricity required by some newer facilities can be enormous.
That is why communities across New Jersey are now debating not only whether additional data centers should be built — but also how many are already operating nearby. Several municipalities have moved to restrict or prohibit new facilities because of concerns over electricity demand, water consumption, noise and other environmental impacts.
So the next time you drive past an anonymous industrial building in New Jersey, it may be worth asking:
Do you know where the data centers in your own neighborhood are located?
Sources: New Jersey Policy Perspective; Data Center Map; DataCenters.com; 105.7 The Hawk
By NJ RADAR Team