Communities across the United States have successfully halted more than 75 data center projects worth over $130 billion in just the first four months of 2026, according to Tom's Hardware, citing a research firm's findings.
The scale of pushback is striking: according to the research firm, the number of blocked projects in just the first quarter of 2026 already matches the total number stopped throughout all of 2025. That suggests opposition is accelerating, not slowing down.
The resistance is coming from an unlikely coalition. According to Tom's Hardware, the opposition is bipartisan — meaning both Republicans and Democrats are joining local efforts to block these facilities. The primary concerns driving the pushback are fears over soaring electricity and water costs that large data centers impose on surrounding areas. These facilities require enormous amounts of power to run servers and cool equipment, and that demand can stress local utility grids and drive up bills for ordinary residents.
The trend puts the AI buildout on a collision course with itself. President Trump has made expanding AI infrastructure inside the United States a policy priority, yet the communities where that infrastructure would actually be built are pushing back in growing numbers.
For tech companies and investors racing to build out AI capacity, the blocked projects represent a significant bottleneck — $130 billion in stalled investment means fewer servers, less computing capacity, and potentially slower AI development timelines than the industry has projected. It's a reminder that the AI boom isn't just a Silicon Valley story; it lands physically in towns and counties that didn't sign up for the electricity bills that come with it.