Microsoft is expanding "biomimicry" at its data centers, adding native trees, gardens, and ecosystem restoration projects in an effort to make the facilities blend into local landscapes. The company says the approach will cover more than 20 sites in the US and Germany and all new US data center projects.
The initiative responds to growing community opposition. San Antonio City Councilmember Ric Galvan told The Verge that a Microsoft project cut down more than 2,600 trees in 2022, and that nearby residents still contend with bright lights, noise, and traffic from hyperscale facilities. Microsoft says it is funding restoration work, including over 400 acres of woodland and pollinator prairie in the San Antonio area.
Advocates and sustainability experts describe the gesture as welcome but insufficient. The Verge reports that data center expansion has destroyed thousands of trees and that Microsoft's greenhouse gas emissions are climbing with AI energy demand. The article does not include a competing view from Microsoft beyond its stated restoration commitments.