Voters and governors against data centres: the backlash in the US is bipartisan

No one in the United States wants data centres any more – at least ‘not in their own back garden’ (NIMBY): citizens – from New Mexico to Michigan – are opposed to hosting the infrastructure needed to develop artificial intelligence in their communities; they are fighting back just as they have done in the past (including in Europe) against nuclear power stations and nuclear waste, high-speed rail or landfill sites. Blocking projects worth billions of dollars.

American politics is adapting, not least with an eye on the mid-term elections: more and more governors are changing their minds and adopting more restrictive measures towards data centres, defying Donald Trump’s orders. Whilst the big tech companies – starting with Oracle, OpenAI and Microsoft – are launching massive marketing campaigns to support their projects, technology has now entered – through the back door – the electoral fray in some of the states that are decisive for the majority in Congress, and, looking ahead, for the 2028 presidential race.

Two days ago, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro stated that his administration would no longer prioritise data centre projects when issuing building permits or granting tax exemptions, ‘unless such projects meet new and stricter standards’. In Texas, Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa has launched a television advert targeting rural areas, accusing Republican Governor Greg Abbott of having ‘sold out the public to the interests of tech executives and companies’.

But opposition to data centres is a cross-party issue that calls into question the strategy — backed by Silicon Valley and the White House — to overtake China and secure leadership in AI. Residents and local authorities in Republican states and swing districts — such as Texas, Mississippi and Ohio — have joined progressive leaders like Bernie Sanders in calling for ‘a pause in the construction of new data centres’. Even Republican Governor Abbott, who last November wanted to make Texas ‘the centre of American artificial intelligence development’, touting a $40 billion investment from Google, has just announced that he has blocked 1,800 new data centres, worth billions of dollars, due to ‘concerns regarding excessive energy and water consumption’.

In the space of a few months, data centres have gone – in the popular perception – from being a driver of development to a phenomenon that drains resources from local communities. Over a few hundred kilometres, whether travelling from Wall Street to Pennsylvania or from Silicon Valley to Texas, artificial intelligence has transformed from an investment boom into an enemy that takes away jobs. Hard facts and legitimate concerns are compounded by modern Luddite movements and rearguard battles. And even amongst the MAGA base, the desire to restore America’s primacy clashes with doubts about the benefits of new technologies for the population.