Cooperative Data Centers: A Human-First Ownership Architecture for AI Infrastructure

This working paper presents a human-first ownership architecture for cooperative AI data centers. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly important to economic and social life, the ownership and governance of the infrastructure supporting it will shape who benefits, who bears the costs, and how communities participate in decisions affecting them. The paper examines cooperative ownership as an alternative to conventional data center development, with a focus on aligning infrastructure investment with human needs, community interests, democratic governance, and shared economic benefit. It establishes a conceptual foundation for developing AI infrastructure in which workers, communities, and other cooperative members can participate in ownership and decision-making. The proposed architecture is intended to support further research, feasibility analysis, cooperative development, financing, and implementation. Real-world development will require additional work on site selection, power availability, capital requirements, operating economics, governance, environmental performance, and community impact. This paper is part of the Robert Wayne Human Reclamation Project (RWHRP)'s broader effort to develop practical, human-centered alternatives to systems that concentrate economic power and decision-making. The proposed cooperative AI data center is intended as an initial implementation project through which the architecture can be evaluated and advanced toward practical application. The paper is published to invite scrutiny, research, collaboration, and participation from cooperative developers, community organizations, energy professionals, researchers, prospective partners, and potential funders.