Amazon tones down its data center noise after residents sound the alarm

It’s been 18 months since residents of Great Oak, a 291-home subdivision south of Manassas, began to hear the mind-numbing noise—a low-pitched roar topped with a tinny screech—from a complex of Amazon data centers next door. Now, after many meetings with Amazon and costly engineering work, the data center operator has managed to reduce the sound by 10 decibels—cutting its loudness in half. The saga also holds some lessons. One is that neighbors who want data centers to change their ways must be “determined and tenacious,’ said Browne. Another is it helps to get public officials involved. A third is...