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Residents living near the Nebius AI data center in Vineland, New Jersey report a constant humming from the facility that they say has made it hard to sleep and enjoy their homes, and a group of neighbors has sued. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported residents falling asleep to the hum and waking up angry, with some neighbors selling their homes to data center developers. Read the article

In September 2025, residents of Plain Township and neighborhoods near Abbott Road told New Albany City Council that cooling fans and exhaust systems at newly activated data centers produced continuous noise and intrusive light at their homes. The City of New Albany confirms it received the complaints about Google's and Meta's sites; Google acknowledged the issue, added sound-dampening measures, and scheduled a permanent fix for December 2026. Read the article

Granbury residents, represented by Earthjustice, sued Marathon Digital Holdings over the constant noise from thousands of cooling fans at its bitcoin mining facility next to the Wolf Hollow II power plant, linking it to health problems. This is a cryptocurrency mine rather than an AI facility; the health claims are allegations in court. Read the article

Residents of the roughly 300-home Great Oak subdivision near Manassas, Virginia, reported a constant mechanical buzzing in their yards after an Amazon Web Services data center campus began operating nearby, and rallied outside it on August 29, 2022. The Prince William Times and AP reported the complaints; the campus is about 600 feet from the nearest home. Read the article

Residents along Chandler's Price Road Corridor near Chuparosa Park complained of a constant high-pitched hum from CyrusOne's data center cooling equipment, saying it disturbed their sleep. CyrusOne was asked to quiet its HVAC systems and promised fixes. Read the article

On July 1, 2026, three Sturtevant residents living within 1.5 miles of Microsoft's Fairwater AI data center in Mount Pleasant filed a federal class action alleging persistent noise and low-frequency hum from cooling equipment and generators has invaded and damaged their properties. Microsoft says it meets local noise rules and has made mitigation changes. The claims have not been proven. Read the article

The Conversation reports that residents in northern Virginia have complained of persistent data center noise, with some reporting trouble sleeping and concentrating or avoiding outdoor spaces at home. Measurements on residential property ranged from 40 to 59 decibels; the article notes these levels did not violate local noise ordinances and were not loud enough to damage hearing. Read the article