America Rebels Against Data Centers: $130 Billion in Projects Blocked or Delayed in Three Months

The expansion of the infrastructure necessary to support the growth of artificial intelligence is encountering increasingly organized resistance in the United States. According to a new report by Data Center Watch, an initiative by AI intelligence firm 10a Labs that monitors domestic projects, at least 75 data center projects valued at approximately $130 billion were blocked or delayed in the first three months of 2026.

This is the highest figure recorded by the organization since it began monitoring in 2023, and according to the study's authors, it does not represent a temporary phenomenon. On the contrary, it seems to indicate a structural change in how local communities are addressing the arrival of new digital infrastructures. The report highlights how opposition groups have refined their mobilization strategies and tools, while the number of active organizations has more than doubled in just a few months, rising from 396 to 833 groups across 49 states.

The magnitude of the phenomenon also appears significant from a historical perspective. The value of blocked or delayed projects in the first quarter of 2026 is close to that recorded for the entire year of 2025, when Data Center Watch reported about $156 billion in investments that faced disputes or delays.

Among the main reasons for the protests are energy consumption, the use of water resources, environmental impact, and concerns that permits may be fast-tracked without adequate assessments of long-term effects. In some cases, according to the report, mobilization began even before the official announcement of the projects: mere rumors about the arrival of a new data center have been sufficient to generate organized opposition campaigns.

Also, politics has, in part, turned its back on data centers. In the early months of 2026, moratorium proposals on data center construction were presented in 14 American states, supported by members from both political parties. At the federal level, similar initiatives were promoted by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Although none of the proposals have turned into law, the frequency of regulatory interventions has increased significantly: over 300 bills related to the sector have reportedly been introduced in state legislatures in the first six weeks of the year. Sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom, who has closely studied protest movements in North Carolina, argues that opposition to data centers is becoming a point of aggregation for citizens from different political orientations. The protests involve not only environmental activists but also residents with no previous civic mobilization experience, concerned with issues such as water rights, land planning, and administrative transparency.

For the tech industry and infrastructure developers, the growing hostility represents a concrete problem at a time when demand for computational capacity continues to rise to support the training and execution of artificial intelligence models. Companies and industry supporters challenge many of the criticisms directed at data centers, believing that some concerns are based on incomplete data or overly pessimistic assessments.

Project promoters also emphasize the economic benefits generated by investments. Among the most cited examples is Loudoun County, Virginia, one of the world's leading hubs for data centers, where these infrastructures occupy a small part of the territory yet contribute significantly to local tax revenues. Similarly, in Louisiana, a Meta project has led to a significant increase in local tax revenues, also contributing to funding bonuses for school staff.

For the data center sector, traditionally viewed as a technical and infrastructural issue, 2026 may represent a turning point. The challenge now involves not only the availability of energy, land, or network connections but also the ability to gain social and political consensus at a time when the expansion of digital infrastructures has become a central theme in American public debate.