The North Tonawanda couple lives across the railroad tracks from a cryptomining plant and the noise, they said, has become part of everyday life. Behind every AI prompt is a massive network of computers working around the clock, housed in buildings known as AI data centers. Today, part of his job is to teach AI and data center operations. Cleary estimates a large AI data center could employ roughly 50 to 200 permanent workers, including technical, trades, HVAC, and security positions. Those are the same concerns residents in North Tonawanda have been raising for the last five years.