In the second quarter, 45 data center projects in the United States were hindered, with a scale reaching 68 billion dollars

Data Center Watch data shows that from April to June, approximately 45 data center projects in the United States were halted or delayed due to opposition from local residents and communities, with a total value of $68 billion. The agency added that communities across the country are now pushing for bans on new data center construction, often taking action even before developers apply for relevant permits.

In the first quarter of this year, a total of 75 data center projects in the United States faced opposition, involving approximately $130 billion. The 45 projects affected in the second quarter accounted for more than half of all large new projects tracked during the same period. This year, state legislatures in about 30 states have proposed or passed regulations related to data center siting, electricity, and water usage. Currently, there are 843 groups opposing data centers across 49 states in the U.S., excluding Hawaii.

Miquel Vila, Chief Analyst at Data Center Watch, stated: New opposition groups are continuously emerging, and opposition actions are appearing in more and more states and local government jurisdictions, with the number of signatures on online petitions also steadily increasing. A petition opposing a data center project in Tennessee has garnered over 500,000 signatures on Change.org. The agency reported protests against data centers outside the United States for the first time, specifically mentioning several countries in Europe, as well as Australia and South Africa.