More than 75 data center build-outs worth $130 billion have been successfully blocked in the first four months of 2026

In the first quarter of 2026, at least 75 data center projects worth approximately $130 billion were successfully blocked or delayed nationwide, matching the total number of projects halted in all of ... Read original →

Local opposition to U.S. data center expansion has escalated from NIMBYism into a systemic supply chain bottleneck. Technically, AI chip demand growth will decelerate, risking short-term overcapacity at TSMC and Samsung’s advanced nodes, while accelerating adoption of edge computing and liquid cooling. Compliance costs are surging—companies must now navigate over 69 local bans, plus stringent water and power audits, compressing project IRRs by 2–4%. Strategically, Microsoft and Amazon are pivoting to Canada, Mexico, and Taiwan, China for backup capacity, while capital-constrained firms like Anthropic face potential compute cost doubling. Over the next 18 months, U.S. AI infrastructure will fragment geographically; without federal coordination on energy-compute policy, America’s AI leadership will erode in favor of more cohesive East Asian ecosystems.