More than 70% of Americans now oppose data centers, leading to bipartisan political moves and coordinated protests across 142 venues in 42 states. Over 69 jurisdictions, including Seattle and New York, have imposed data center bans or one-year moratoriums, delaying over $130 billion worth of projects in Q1 2026 alone.
Community opposition and local bans are now a primary constraint on datacenter buildout, adding significant delays and costs to AI compute expansion.