Source: Ars Technica
With $130 billion in proposed data center construction stalled by local opposition in 2024 alone, data center siting is no longer automatic. Protests have coalesced into a replicable playbook—environmental impact litigation, water rights challenges, grid strain arguments—that forces developers into costly delays and design concessions. Power is shifting from tech companies and grid operators to hyperlocal constituencies. Future AI infrastructure expansion will require genuine community negotiation rather than permitting theater, changing where and how companies can build.