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A survey by Milltown Partners of 6,872 registered voters found that only 8% of Americans who oppose data centers actually live near one. In the first quarter of 2026, public backlash delayed or blocked at least 75 data center projects nationwide, worth a cumulative $130 billion（約21兆円）, according to the Data Center Watch Initiative. Meanwhile, tech companies including Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, and Google have launched PR campaigns and pledged billions to offset energy costs and reduce water usage.
Why it matters
Opposition to data centers has become a national concern rather than a local one. Two-thirds of voters cite rising energy bills as a reason to oppose construction, and 59% worry that AI-driven gains will flow only to corporate balance sheets rather than ordinary workers' pockets. When the Pew Research Center checked whether living near a data center affected people's views, it found 'doesn't have much of an effect on public opinion'—meaning most Americans' concerns are about AI's broader economic impact, not neighborhood infrastructure.
What to watch
The scale of political resistance is expanding. Politicians have proposed more than 120 moratoriums on data center development in 38 states as of this month. The stakes are significant: the largest U.S. tech companies have allocated a record $725 billion（約120兆円） in capital expenditure this year, the vast majority of which is earmarked for data centers.
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