Ohio Common Ground Research Center

OCG Visual Library

See the issue. Understand the facts.

Explore Ohio's important issues through charts, data, explainers, infographics and other visual resources created by the Ohio Common Ground Research Center.

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Explore OCG visual research organized around the issues shaping Ohio.

Data Centers & AI

Power, water, economics, infrastructure and policy questions surrounding Ohio's rapidly expanding data-center industry.

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New to an issue? Start with a curated sequence designed to build understanding one visual at a time.

Data Centers & AI: Start Here

A curated sequence of visuals that introduces the key power, water, economic and policy questions surrounding Ohio data centers.

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Latest Visuals

The newest charts, explainers, data graphics and infographics from the OCG Research Center.

Ohio Common Ground infographic comparing emergency backup generators with primary or routinely operated data-center power generation and identifying common combustion pollutants.
Explainer
Data Centers & AI
Environment & Communities

Air Emissions: Backup vs. Primary Power

Emergency backup generators and routinely operated power generation create different air-quality questions. Operating purpose and hours matter as much as the number of engines.

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Ohio Common Ground infographic identifying four questions for evaluating data-center noise: the sound source, when it occurs, where it is measured and whether tonal or low-frequency characteristics matter.
Explainer
Data Centers & AI
Environment & Communities

Data Center Noise: What Should Be Measured?

Evaluating data-center noise requires more than one dBA number. Source, location, timing, operating condition, background sound and tonal or low-frequency characteristics can all matter.

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Ohio Common Ground infographic showing three stages of closed-loop data-center cooling: commissioning with fill and flush events, sealed normal operation with recirculation, and occasional maintenance drain-down and refill.
Explainer
Data Centers & AI
Water & Cooling

Closed Loop Doesn't Mean No Water Events

Closed-loop cooling can use very little water during normal operation while still requiring filling, flushing, testing or drain-down during commissioning and maintenance.

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Ohio Common Ground infographic explaining that natural gas is a major part of Ohio's data-center power buildout and citing 736 megawatts of behind-the-meter gas generation under construction for Meta and EdgeConneX in New Albany.
Data
Data Centers & AI
Electricity & Grid

Natural Gas Is a Major Part of Ohio's Data Center Buildout

Ohio data-center growth is already driving substantial new natural-gas generation, including 736 MW of behind-the-meter gas capacity under construction for Meta and EdgeConneX projects in New Albany.

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Ohio Common Ground infographic explaining that data-center impacts do not begin at one fixed gigawatt threshold and identifying grid capacity, peak demand, electricity prices, infrastructure and community resources as indicators to watch.
Explainer
Data Centers & AI
Electricity & Grid

How Much Data Center Load Before Ohio Feels the Impact?

There is no single gigawatt threshold at which data centers begin affecting Ohio. The useful indicators are contracted load, grid constraints, peak demand, infrastructure requirements, costs and local resource impacts.

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Ohio Common Ground infographic comparing selected Ohio data-center capacity figures while distinguishing operational capacity, critical IT load and multi-campus development totals.
Data
Data Centers & AI
Basics & Scale

How Big Are Ohio's Big Data Center Projects?

Ohio data-center capacity figures can describe operational power, critical IT load, future power envelopes or multiple campuses combined. Define the metric before ranking projects.

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