In the first three months of 2026, opponents of AI data centers managed to block or delay at least 75 projects worth roughly $130 billion. That single quarter matched the total disruption for all of 2025.
The numbers come from Data Center Watch, which described the trend as a “structural shift” in how communities engage with large-scale computing infrastructure.
The opposition machine is scaling fast
Over the two years leading up to 2025, approximately $64 billion in data center projects faced some form of obstruction. Then 2025 saw that figure balloon to $130 billion for the full year. Now the same dollar amount of disruption has been compressed into a single quarter.
Grassroots opposition organizations have more than doubled, reaching 833 across 49 states by March 2026. Many of these groups are forming before projects are even formally proposed, mobilizing on rumors alone. Maryland, Ohio, and Texas have emerged as the most active battlegrounds.
