Historically, the average American was largely unaware of nearby data centers. These server farms, essential yet unseen infrastructure supporting the internet, seldom garnered attention beyond the technology sector, nor did they possess significant political weight.
However, by 2025, this period of obscurity seems to have definitively ended.
In the last year, data centers have sparked protests across numerous states, with local activists mobilizing against the nation’s rapidly expanding computing infrastructure. According to Data Center Watch, an organization monitoring anti-data center movements, 142 distinct activist groups in 24 states are currently organizing opposition to new data center projects.
These activists cite diverse concerns, including the environmental and potential health ramifications of these developments, the contentious applications of AI, and, critically, the potential for numerous new power grid additions to inflate local electricity costs.
This abrupt public resistance seems a logical reaction to an industry that has expanded so rapidly it’s now encroaching on residential areas. Concurrently with the explosive growth of the AI sector, the cloud computing industry has also surged. Recent U.S. Census Bureau figures indicate a staggering 331% increase in data center construction spending since 2021, amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. The sheer volume of data centers proposed recently leads many experts to conclude that most will not — and realistically cannot — be constructed.
Nevertheless, this expansion shows no immediate signs of abatement. Leading tech companies, such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, have collectively declared substantial capital expenditure forecasts for the upcoming year, with a significant portion expected to fund these ventures.
The drive for new AI infrastructure originates not only from Silicon Valley but also from Washington, D.C., where the Trump administration has positioned artificial intelligence as a key policy priority. The Stargate Project, unveiled in January, paved the way for the immense AI infrastructure development of 2025, proclaiming a purported “re-industrialization of the United States.”
As it rapidly scales, an industry previously obscure to the public has suddenly entered the public eye, now facing significant opposition. Danny Cendejas, an activist associated with MediaJustice, has participated in several anti-data center initiatives, including a protest earlier this year in Memphis, Tennessee, where residents gathered to condemn the enlargement of Colossus, a project by Elon Musk’s xAI.
Cendejas informed TechCrunch that he regularly encounters individuals eager to organize against data centers in their areas. He stated, “I don’t foresee this stopping anytime soon. I believe it will continue to escalate, and we will witness more successes — more projects will be halted.”
Support for Cendejas’ observation is pervasive. Communities nationwide have responded to proposed server farms with an intensity comparable to how one might react to a highly infectious outbreak. For example, in Michigan, where developers are currently considering 16 sites for data center development, protesters recently converged on the state capitol, declaring: “Michiganders do not want data centers in our yards, in our communities.” Concurrently, in Wisconsin — another area of active development — vocal residents seemingly convinced Microsoft to abandon plans for a new 244-acre data center in their town. Furthermore, in Southern California, the small city of Imperial Valley recently initiated legal action to challenge its county’s approval of a data center project, citing environmental reasons.
The widespread dissatisfaction with these projects has escalated to such a degree that politicians anticipate it could significantly influence the electoral success or failure of specific candidates. Last November, reports indicated that escalating electricity prices — widely attributed to the AI surge — might emerge as a decisive factor in the 2026 midterm elections.
“The direct link to rising energy bills for everyone — I believe that’s what has truly made this issue so prominent for people,” Cendejas explained to TechCrunch. “Many of us are struggling financially each month. Concurrently, there’s this massive expansion of data centers…[People are questioning] What is the source of all this funding? Why are our local governments providing subsidies and public money to encourage these projects, when our communities have so many pressing needs?”
In certain instances, protests seem effective, even pausing (at least temporarily) proposed developments. Data Center Watch asserts that approximately $64 billion in developments have been blocked or postponed due to community resistance. Cendejas firmly believes that organized public action can impede corporate plans. “All this public pressure is working,” he remarked, observing a “very tangible anger” surrounding the situation.
As expected, the tech industry is retaliating. Earlier this month, Politico disclosed that the nascent National Artificial Intelligence Association (NAIA) trade group has been “providing talking points to members of Congress and arranging local data center tours to better inform voters of their advantages.” Tech firms, including Meta, have launched advertising campaigns to promote the economic advantages of data centers to the public, according to the report. In essence: The tech industry’s AI ambitions depend on a massive expansion of computing infrastructure, suggesting that the server boom, along with its associated public dissent and division, will persist into 2026.