Opposition to data centers has become a threat to the computing capacity America’s AI buildout requires. In a Gallup poll conducted in March, 71% of adults opposed a data center near them — far more than the 53% who opposed a nearby nuclear plant. Data Center Watch counted at least 75 projects worth roughly $130 billion delayed or blocked in the first quarter of 2026, as many as in all of 2025.

Concerns about noise, water, power bills, and artificial intelligence itself matter. But the backlash also reflects a simpler failure: Local governments collect enormous data-center windfalls while residents struggle to identify what they received in return.