Nearly $200 Billion in U.S. Data Center Projects Hit Delays or Blocks

Gizmodo reports that proposed U.S. data center projects worth nearly $200 billion were blocked or delayed during the first half of 2026. Citing Data Center Watch data reported by Bloomberg, the article says at least 45 projects worth nearly $68 billion were disrupted between April and June, following 75 projects valued at roughly $130 billion in the first quarter. The takeaway: local opposition is becoming a material constraint on the AI infrastructure buildout.

Residents are raising concerns about the strain large data centers could place on water supplies, power grids, and local communities. The article notes that a March Gallup survey found seven in 10 Americans oppose AI data centers in their local area, including 48% who are strongly opposed. That resistance is no longer just rhetorical; in some places, it is translating into project delays, pauses, and bans.

The backlash comes as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google are pouring money into infrastructure for training and running AI models. Gizmodo cites CNBC reporting that those companies are expected to spend at least $700 billion this year on AI infrastructure and development. The tension is clear: national AI ambitions depend on facilities that must still win approval from local communities and power systems.

Data Center Watch reported more than 300 state-level data center bills introduced during the first six weeks of 2026, including statewide moratorium proposals in 14 states. By the end of the 2026 legislative session, 30 statehouses had introduced legislation, resolutions, or executive actions addressing siting, electricity and water constraints, and infrastructure cost-sharing. Local governments are acting too, with New Jersey communities considering or approving bans and pauses, Minneapolis approving a six-month pause on large projects, New York imposing a one-year statewide moratorium on certain new hyperscale facilities, and Texas ordering an audit of projects seeking to connect to the ERCOT grid.