Global AI, an artificial intelligence company, has been told to stop construction of a new data center in Weld County until they are granted the proper permits, which will be reviewed in a September public hearing.

Colorado Public Radio reported the county has issued numerous “stop work” orders against Global AI, which bought the property November of last year. Weld County Planning Manager Angela Snyder said after the company gained ownership of the property, they were granted basic-level construction abilities since the site was already an established industrial facility.

“It already has an approved site plan and approved building permits,” Snyder said. “You’re allowed to do a lot on a building you already have, and so those permits you’ll find in the system have been approved.”

Snyder said her department received permit requests by Global AI for data center specific construction, all of which are on a zone hold until the company complies with a local ordinance that was passed earlier this year.

The ordinance established that companies could build data centers in unincorporated Weld County only if they build on land zoned for industrial use, follow county noise ordinances and provide the proper water and electricity supply in compliance with state requirements.

According to a documents obtained and reviewed by CPR News, Global AI continued construction relating to the data center without meeting the proper requirements or permits. Weld County resident Bonnie Jackson said she hopes the AI company will see consequences for continuing construction without permission from the county.

“I just hope that they will not be let off with a fine that they surely can pay and that they see consequences for their violation of the law,” Jackson said.

Public records reviewed by The Collegian list their electrical provider as Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, but the company has yet to provide who their water supplier will be past March 2027. All water prior to March will be provided by the City of Greeley in accordance with a prior contract. Since Weld County does not supply the needed water themselves, the company will need to receive a written confirmation from a water provider to be in compliance with the ordinance’s requirements. Municipalities like Windsor and Greeley have both shown interest in providing water to Global AI if the company annexes to them.

Snyder said the company’s water use statements to Weld County have been minimal, and they will need to rely on the company’s chosen water district to conduct a water analysis of the project.

“(Global AI) estimate that they’ll use about the water of two residential homes per year,” Snyder said.

According to the company’s permits, the data center plans to use a closed-loop system, which can reduce the use of freshwater by up to 70%, according to the Florida Water and Pollution Control Operators Association. However, there is no public information available about the amount of water the company plans to use in total. Melinda Laituri, professor emeritus of geography at Colorado State University, said she is doubtful methods like the closed-loop system will eliminate the issue of extreme water use.

“I would question any amounts of water that people talk about, and (we) want to have the background data they’re using to support their contentions about how much water is going to be used,” Laituri said.

Laituri is a part of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit organization that conducts independent research to try and improve the health of the planet. A report published in January by the union found the United States is capable of meeting the growth in electricity demand with clean energy — even with the boom of AI.

“They have done a study of data centers nationally to look at how they operate and alternative energy sources, and how they could work better and the trade off between also prioritizing health impacts from these things that can be balanced out by using renewable energy sources,” Laituri said.

She also expressed concerns about the effects of noise pollution that data centers can pose on the surrounding environment. According to the European Environment Agency, noise pollution has the potential to disrupt biodiversity, change animal behavior and habitat usage and quality. While Weld County’s new ordinance addressed both dBA, sound waves humans can hear, and dBC, which humans can only feel, the dangers data centers pose to wildlife are still not completely understood or acknowledged.

“We know that different levels of noise impact our biological neighbors in very different ways,” Laituri said.

Global AI has recently updated their noise analysis to comply with the ordinance, according to Snyder.

As a result of concerns surrounding resource consumption and noise pollution, as well as public opinion, many areas of Colorado have temporarily prevented the construction of data centers through moratoriums, which serve as temporary stops on specific activities like construction. For example, Larimer County recently extended their existing moratorium through Feb. 25, 2027. Other cities like Broomfield and Denver have similar moratoriums.

When asked why Weld County did not enact a moratorium, Snyder said officials had considered the potential benefits of the data center for the local economy.

“Weld County is very pro-business,” Snyder said. “For example, we have several power plants, we have landfills (and) we have lots of oil and gas development (companies).”

State Sen. Cathy Kipp sponsored a data center regulatory bill during Colorado’s last legislative session that did not pass. She said state-level regulations on data centers are needed to prioritize both communities and the environment.

“What we were trying to do is put in a set of baseline standards that all data centers would have to comply to,” Kipp said. “We wanted to make sure that there was transparency in water usage and electricity usage … and to make sure data centers are paying their own way.”

The public hearing for GlobalAI is set to take place at 10 a.m. Sept. 1 in the Weld County Administration Building.

Reach Katya Arzubi at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.