Data center opponents have blocked or delayed projects worth nearly $130 billion in 2026, study finds

Startup Fortune

Opposition groups halted $130 billion in data center projects in Q1 2026

Fortune

Communities are blocking billions in data centers. Big Tech has wagered $1 trillion otherwise

Data Center Watch

$64 billion of data center projects have been blocked or delayed amid local opposition  Data Center Watch

Data Center Watch Briefing

City Journal

New York Has a Data-Center Panic, Not a Policy

Substack

The data center rebellion is only the beginning

Gallup.com

Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their Area

Dont Reject Data Centers. Negotiate Harder.

Elon Musk

Joe Biden

Rishi Sunak

Andrew Ng

Yoshua Bengio

Melanie Mitchell

Stuart Russell

Sam Altman

Yann LeCun

Max Tegmark

Jaan Tallinn

Tristan Harris

Marc Andreessen

Cédric O

Arthur Clarke

"AI may cause the most dramatic and sustained economic boom of all time."

AI will make the world "way wealthier" and lead to a "productivity boom."

AI is an "amplifier of human intelligence" and will help the economy thrive.

AI will enable "universal high income" in place of "universal basic income."

"AI may become the heart of future economic growth in the coming decades."

AI harms could include "disrupting economies."

AI could "disrupt job markets."

"AI and technological unemployment" are the "biggest problem we face" from an "economic point of view."

"The moment superintelligent AI emerges, the human economy will end."

Will AI Bring Economic Risks?

Goldman Sachs

Statista

arXiv

McKinsey & Company

Schneider Electric Blog

Rystad Energy

S&P Global

Deloitte

Gartner

GECF

Uptime Institute

Columbia Business School

Our Base Case finds that global electricity consumption for data centres is projected to double to reach around 945 TWh by 2030 in the Base Case, representing just under 3% of total global electricity consumption in 2030.

"The evaluation of multiple data center energy consumption projections suggests that demand could grow from 400 TWh in 2023 to 1,000 TWh in 2030."

"But as power-intensive generative AI (gen AI) training and inference continues to grow faster than other uses and applications, global data center electricity consumption could roughly double to 1,065 TWh by 2030."

"According to McKinsey analysis, the power demand for data centers is expected to reach 1,400 terawatt-hours by 2030, equivalent to 4 percent of total global power demand."

“Our first number is that global data center demand is expected to hit about 1,250 terawatt hours globally by 2030.”

“With data center power electricity consumption estimated to reach over 1,200TWh by 2030, grid supply will be insufficient to meet the demands of future data center construction, affecting all data center users.”

"In the RCS, data centre electricity consumption rises from 415 TWh in 2024 to around 1,543 TWh by 2030, increasing its share of final electricity demand from 1.6% to 4.2%."

“In the S&P Global Energy 'power sector perspective' scenario, global data center power demand reaches 1,550 TWh by 2030, roughly equal to total power consumption across Latin America in 2030.”

“Schneider Electric forecasts global data-center and edge electricity consumption will reach 1,693 TWh in 2030.”

Will Global Data Center Electricity Consumption Reach at Least 1,000 Terawatt Hours in 2030?

New York lawmakers passed a one-year moratorium on June 5, 2026, on permits for new large data centers with peak demand of at least 20 megawatts, sending the bill to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has not committed to signing it.

New York lawmakers passed a one-year moratorium on June 5, 2026, on permits for new large data centers with peak demand of at least 20 megawatts, sending the bill to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has not committed to signing it.

At least 75 data center projects worth roughly $130 billion were blocked or delayed nationwide in the first quarter of 2026, the highest total for any three-month period since tracking began in 2023, according to Data Center Watch.

At least 75 data center projects worth roughly $130 billion were blocked or delayed nationwide in the first quarter of 2026, the highest total for any three-month period since tracking began in 2023, according to Data Center Watch.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have imposed an 18-month moratorium on data centers using more than 20 megawatts of power, citing its failure to exempt a proposed $550 million redevelopment at the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have imposed an 18-month moratorium on data centers using more than 20 megawatts of power, citing its failure to exempt a proposed $550 million redevelopment at the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay.

Compass Datacenters withdrew from the $24.7 billion Prince William Digital Gateway project in Virginia after courts invalidated zoning approvals over public notice failures, while QTS may still continue and a separate landowner lawsuit adds further uncertainty.

Compass Datacenters withdrew from the $24.7 billion Prince William Digital Gateway project in Virginia after courts invalidated zoning approvals over public notice failures, while QTS may still continue and a separate landowner lawsuit adds further uncertainty.

A Gallup poll found 71% of Americans oppose having AI data centers built in their area, with environmental concerns and higher utility bills cited as the leading reasons. Opposition has proven bipartisan, spanning conservative and liberal communities alike.

A Gallup poll found 71% of Americans oppose having AI data centers built in their area, with environmental concerns and higher utility bills cited as the leading reasons. Opposition has proven bipartisan, spanning conservative and liberal communities alike.

Moody's Ratings raised capital spending projections for the top six U.S. hyperscalers to $785 billion for 2026 and nearly $1 trillion for 2027, even as project cancellations jumped from six in 2024 to 25 in 2025 amid growing community resistance.

Moody's Ratings raised capital spending projections for the top six U.S. hyperscalers to $785 billion for 2026 and nearly $1 trillion for 2027, even as project cancellations jumped from six in 2024 to 25 in 2025 amid growing community resistance.

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AI: Infrastructure

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AI: Safety and Regulations

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Artificial Intelligence

Data center opponents blocked $130B in Q1 2026

Data center opponents blocked $130B in Q1 2026

Politics

Environment/energy

Economic conditions & trends

United States of America