The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
"Hyperscaled" is a short documentary film that focuses on the residents of Bessemer, Alabama and their struggle to oppose, "Project Marvel", a proposed hyperscale data center that involves a 1,600 acre campus operated by QTS Data Centers. With Quality Technology Services being a data center focused company that was started in Kansas. QTS currently operates at least 28 data centers in the USA, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. QTS Data Centers are also the ones responsible for a data center in Fayetteville, Georgia that in 2025 drained 30 million gallons of water through unregistered connections in Fayette County, Georgia unbeknownst to the local government.
The short film documentary opens with a resident of the Bessemer area stating that "David and Goliath" is the type of pressure he and the residents of Bessemer are feeling right now. "We are going to take our stones and our case all the way as far as it needs to be. We are facing giants. And I believe with all my heart, there will be a giant slaying." The documentary is currently an official selection on tour at independent venues and environmental festivals. It is set for viewing on August 28th during the Wild and Scenic film Festival in Lexington, Kentucky. With, "Hyperscaled", also being set for viewing on August 07th in Brooklyn, New York as part of the Greenpoint Film Festival. In, "Hyperscaled", residents in Bessemer are featured speaking to the zoning committee describing hyperscale data centers as "Vampires" due to their huge water and energy consumption.
The documentary is directed by Maya Estrera and was produced as part of the Southern Exposure Films program. Which is a film fellowship program that raises awareness and appreciation for Alabama's environment and natural beauty. It is a summer fellowship that is hosted by the Alabama Rivers Alliance each summer. With "Hyperscaled" also focusing on the Etheostoma birminghamense, a type of darter fish unique to that area of Alabama. Since it is a newly discovered type of fish, it has not had time to receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. With Dr. Near of Yale University presenting his concerns in "Hyperscaled" that the rare fish could go extinct with the construction of the massive hyperscale data center in Bessemer.
The proposed hyperscale data center, "Project Marvel", has received intense scrutiny due to the mayor of Bessemer, Kenneth Gulley, and other local city officials signing a Nondisclosure Agreement regarding the hyperscale data center development. The furor over the secrecy on the part of public officials regarding something that affects the entire community reached such a level, that the city finally felt forced to release the non-disclosure records. Records that showed that the officials were required to destroy the agreements and return any confidential information upon request from the developers of the hyperscale data center. Such type of secrecy has become a frequent component of hyperscale data center developments and one reason local communities across the USA are rising up in opposition to them.
"Hyperscaled" has a running time of nineteen minutes and thirty-five seconds. The short film documentary is worth watching and can be viewed here: https://www.southernexposurefilms.org/films/hyperscaled
Luisa Reyes is a Tuscaloosa attorney, piano instructor, poet, vocalist, reporter, and columnist who writes on politics, current affairs, and the arts.
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