Downtown datacenter? AI plan floated for boarded-up San Francisco mall

Developers propose turning San Francisco Centre into not a server-based facility but a ‘community-based AI exhibit’

Downtown San Francisco has shown signs of revival since being battered by the Covid pandemic, which led to what many called a “doom loop” of vacant buildings, a worsening homelessness crisis, and dwindling public transit. But one highly visible reminder of the city’s struggle to recover remains: the San Francisco Centre mall, which sits at the heart of these urban renewal efforts and has been conspicuously boarded up since January of this year.

A number of ideas have been floated for the mall’s reopening, including a multi-level sports complex, housing, and more traditional retail uses. But now, another potential plan has emerged: the shuttered mall is being considered for an AI datacenter project, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.