75 AI Data-Center Projects Worth $130 Billion Blocked or Delayed in Q1 2026
A Data Center Watch report shows the largest single-quarter total of disrupted projects on record, with opposition groups active in 49 states.
BenzingaAt least 75 AI data-center projects worth about $130 billion were blocked or delayed in the United States during January through March 2026, according to a report by Data Center Watch published earlier this month. The report said Q1 2026 recorded the largest single-quarter concentration of disrupted data-center developments on record.
The number of active opposition groups more than doubled between the end of Q4 2025 and the end of Q1 2026, Data Center Watch stated.
Active opposition groups were present in communities across 49 states as of the end of Q1 2026. Petition signatures collected in Q1 2026 nearly matched the total signatures gathered in the second half of 2025, the report added. A Gallup survey published in May 2026 found that 71 percent of Americans oppose AI data centers being built near their homes, with 48 percent saying they were strongly opposed.
Respondents cited concerns around electricity use, water consumption, pollution, noise, and higher utility bills. Data Center Watch said pushback is no longer limited to isolated local disputes and is expanding beyond neighborhood groups into broader advocacy networks focused on energy use, water consumption, land use, and rising utility costs.
