Computing

Data Center Industry Targets Youth With Schools and Field Trips

As pushback against energy-guzzling data centers intensifies across communities, industry-friendly groups and tech companies are launching youth-targeted public relations campaigns.

Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer

Published: October 18, 2026 · Updated: October 18, 2026 · 3 min read

Data Center Industry Targets Youth With Schools and Field Trips — Image: WIRED

Targeting the Youth

As pushback to massive data center build-outs and energy-guzzling campuses intensifies, organizations and companies within the technology sector are pursuing creative ways to win over younger audiences. The nonprofit 7x24 Exchange International promotes data centers as essential infrastructure and recommends a children’s story titled 'What is a Data Center?,' which follows a honey badger named Honey learning about the industry from a worker named Oliver.

Alex Molnar, a research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and the director of the National Education Policy Center, notes that industries facing image problems—including fast food, tobacco, and oil and gas—have historically brought corporate messaging into schools. Molnar explains that corporations often involve themselves in educational institutions for corporate propaganda, utilizing the platforms to tell their own stories rather than directly sell products.

Classroom Materials and Holidays

In addition to publishing stories, 7x24 Exchange has established an initiative known as International Data Center Day, which is designed to raise awareness of the sector and inspire future talent. The nonprofit encourages schools to participate by offering crossword puzzles and training information for high schools, alongside coloring pages, science projects, and print-out activities for elementary schools.

Other organizations have engaged directly with local schools through sponsored items and community events. In May, the Potomac chapter of the Association for Computer Operations Management (AFCOM), a trade group for the data center industry, sponsored Memorial Day-themed flag-making kits distributed to first graders across schools in Loudoun County, Virginia, accompanied by informational cards highlighting the economic impact of data centers.

Student Field Trips to Facilities

Beyond printed resources, industry organizations and companies have organized physical field trips for students. Public records and social media tallies indicate that at least eleven companies and industry groups have hosted student visits to local data center facilities since 2025. Sabey, a company operating seven US data centers, has hosted multiple field trips for Washington-based high school students, introducing them to information storage, data processing, and industry careers.

Other major technology firms have followed similar outreach strategies. Last February, Amazon hosted a field trip at its Arlington, Virginia, 'Skills Center,' a community space aimed at educating visitors about cloud computing and future career paths. Meanwhile, 7x24 Exchange organized an event bringing high school students to a diesel power generation facility in Minnesota to study the backup generators that power data centers globally.

Navigating Public Backlash

These public relations efforts arrive during a period of heightened environmental and community scrutiny. Public opinion polls indicate that a significant portion of Americans view data centers unfavorably regarding environmental impact and local quality of life. Alongside corporate lobbying, job creation programs, and tax breaks, community outreach campaigns represent an attempt by the industry to maintain its social license to operate.