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County IT says Buncombe’s two data centers are compact and distinct from crypto operations
Summary
Buncombe County IT described two small, virtualized county data centers — one downtown and one at the 911 processing center in Erwin — and explained how their scale and operations differ from large cryptocurrency mining facilities that consume far more power and generate more noise.
County IT staff explained that Buncombe operates two data centers: a downtown facility and a backup at the county's 911 processing center in Erwin. Vance Bell said virtualization and modern equipment have reduced footprint and energy needs compared with older infrastructure.
"Our data center has currently gone down to about 0.333 of its original size because of the way things have gone with computing...you can get things much more dense than you used to be able to do," Bell said, summarizing why county facilities are comparatively small and less energy intensive. He contrasted these operations with crypto-mining warehouses that run at full capacity and require large HVAC and generator systems.
Board members asked technical questions about how staff would detect unauthorized conversions of data centers into crypto operations; Bell and other staff said monitoring for spikes in power usage, permit filings for increased electrical service and coordination with utilities and water suppliers would be primary detection tools. Staff cautioned enforcement would rely on cross-agency cooperation and normal notice-of-violation procedures rather than continuous technical surveillance.
