TOKYO – The more Yoriko Kitagawa learns of a massive data centre to be built near her home in Hino on the outskirts of Tokyo, the more she worries.

“This is a terrible plan,” the 94-year-old told AFP.

The explosion in resource-hungry data centres – housing the hardware “brains” of artificial intelligence – is fuelling unease worldwide, with New York state and Australia the latest jurisdictions to announce new rules.

Opponents of data centres in the United States have called for a “national day of protest” on July 18 to “protect our home towns, our wallets, and our way of life”.

Japan, with some of the most densely populated cities among advanced economies – 80 per cent of the country is mountains – has a particular problem: a shortage of suitable urban space to build the facilities.

One centre is even planned next to the famous Tokyo Tower.

In Hino, the height of two of the three planned buildings has been cut by a fifth to 63.5m, but they still will tower over nearby houses, blocking the sun for some.

“As someone who lives next to the site, I’m most worried about a fire that could be triggered by the massive amount of batteries,” said 69-year-old campaigner Yasuo Yamazaki.

“Heat from the data centre is also worrisome, as well as noise,” he told AFP.

He also frets about a potential explosion due to a stockpile of fuel on site for a backup generator.

Developer Mitsui Fudosan plans a “green buffer zone” of up to 78m with trees and a stream, reducing the noise, the heat and the “oppressive feeling”, said project manager Toshitsugu Jouzuka.