As leading AI companies continue to invest heavily in computing infrastructure, opposition to new data center construction is growing across multiple regions in the United States. Foreign media, citing a recent study, report that community resistance is no longer limited to environmental groups or technology critics—electricity prices, water usage, emissions, housing costs, and transparency in local decision-making have become more immediate points of contention.
According to TechCrunch, a study by the nonprofit Data & Society, based on 18 months of fieldwork, interviewed 44 Pennsylvania residents between 2024 and 2026. The study did not quantify the actual impact of data centers but sought to understand how local residents perceive such projects and why opposition has grown.
Pennsylvania's stance reversed within a year
The article notes that the Pennsylvania government’s stance on data centers has changed significantly within a year. In July 2025, Governor Josh Shapiro publicly supported $90 billion in investments in data centers and AI infrastructure. A year later, he signed an executive order imposing new requirements on such projects and removing them from the regulatory fast-track process.
The researchers argue that the industry's repeated emphasis on AI as "inevitable" has not resonated with local residents; instead, such framing tends to provoke resentment. Pennsylvania has long experienced coal, oil, steel, and shale gas development, leading local communities to be more cautious about promises surrounding large industrial projects.
The reasons for opposition are not singular.
The report suggests that the resistance facing the data center project is not driven by a single group, but rather stems from overlapping concerns. In addition to traditional community opposition to development, opponents include individuals skeptical of AI technology and its corporate interests, environmental organizations focused on water use and energy emissions, and residents concerned about public health issues.
However, the most common concerns still center on personal interests, such as whether data center electricity consumption will raise residents' utility bills, whether the project lowers nearby property values, and whether developers are too opaque during the approval process. The study notes that some developers require local officials to sign non-disclosure agreements, further eroding community trust.
- Data Center Watch reports that the total value of stalled projects reached $68 billion in the second quarter of 2026.
- Polls show that over 60% of Americans support limiting the construction of new data centers.
Union support cannot overcome community concerns
The article notes that unions remain a significant source of support for data center projects because construction-phase jobs offer short-term employment opportunities. Even though these facilities typically do not provide many long-term positions after completion, unions still view them as an opportunity to expand their membership base.
Meanwhile, researchers described the industry’s approach to advancing projects as an ongoing influence campaign. The report noted that the industry group Data Center Coalition promoted projects through websites such as “Pennsylvania Connects” and spent at least $19,000 on lobbying state government last year.
Foreign media believe that the current challenge facing the AI industry is not merely responding to specific criticisms, but rather how to restore public trust in corporate and governmental processes. Once community members begin to doubt the transparency of project approval procedures, opposition voices cannot be easily silenced by a single promise.