Growing Local Resistance Against Data Center Constructions and Report Details
A Data & Society report examines the dynamics of rising public backlash and concerns regarding data center projects, based on an 18-month study in Pennsylvania.
While growth drives in artificial intelligence technologies trigger trillions of dollars in data center investments, local communities' resistance against these projects is also increasing steadily.
Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Investments
Believing in the importance of increasing computing power, artificial intelligence laboratories are trying to implement planned data center projects worth trillions of dollars.
Public Opinion Polls and Local Obstacles
Public opinion polls show that more than 60 percent of Americans support limiting new data centers, especially in their own communities.
According to Data Center Watch data, 68 billion dollars worth of data center projects were stalled by local opponents in the second quarter of 2026.
Ethnographic Research in Pennsylvania
A new report by the non-profit organization Data & Society is based on an 18-month ethnographic field study conducted in Pennsylvania between 2024 and 2026 by researchers Livia Garofalo and Maia Woluchem.
This research provides a deeper look into the factors triggering opposition to data centers through interviews conducted with 44 residents in Pennsylvania.
Shift in Local Politics and Official Approaches
In July 2025, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro had spearheaded a summit celebrating a 90 billion dollar data center and artificial intelligence infrastructure investment.
However, a year later, Governor Shapiro signed an executive order introducing new requirements for data center projects and removing them from a regulatory fast-track initiative.
Historical Traumas and Social Concerns
The report emphasizes that the roots of residents' suspicions stem partly from past industrial traumas in the state, such as coal mining, oil, steel, and hydraulic fracking.
While labor unions support the projects due to potential employment opportunities, a different opposition coalition has emerged, voicing concerns over electricity bills, property values, environmental impacts, public health, and tactics involving privacy.