The battle against AI data centers is just beginning

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Years before the AI ​​boom threatened local power grids, a small group of protesters set the stage for the battles emerging across communities today. In 2015, Apple Announced plans To build a Nearly $1 billion The data center is in the sleepy town of Athenry, Ireland. The 500-acre data center site will power Apple services in Europe, including iTunes, iMessage and Siri. At the time, Apple said the data center would provide outdoor educational spaces, walking trails, and a native tree replanting initiative. It will also use 100 percent renewable energy. With the approval of the local government and plans to give back to the community, Apple likely did not anticipate the long battle it was about to face.

Apple’s construction plans were quickly derailed after that Irish residents filed complaints to the country’s independent Planning Board about expected noise, light pollution, flooding, traffic and the impact on local wildlife. While the council The Apple facility was eventually approved in 2016The fighting did not end there, as residents applied for a judicial review of the council’s decision in the Irish Supreme Court. In 2017, the Irish Supreme Court Ruling in favor From Apple, but a pair of activists are behind the appeal He wanted to bring the resolution before the Supreme Court in Ireland – and that was ultimately enough for Apple to stop it. Even with With the support of some Athenry residentsapple He surrendered just a few months later, in May 2018After construction plans remained in limbo for years.

Over the past decades, data centers for cloud storage and other non-AI purposes have become ubiquitous. But data centers will come under increased scrutiny in 2026, as sprawling AI data centers consume up to As much energy as entire countries And some As big as cities.

More people are aware of the risks that AI data centers pose to their communities, as reported by residents who live near such facilities High energy costsproblems Impact on local water qualityand Noise And light pollution, along with concerns About greenhouse gas emissionsQ. The US Energy Information Administration said commercial energy demand Residential demand will exceed For the first time this year due to the establishment of an artificial intelligence data center. This request is It is expected to double by 2027.

Now, many people are rushing to prevent AI data centers from being built in their communities Residents Floods town Halls Defeat Nation To express Their concerns about construction. From January to March alone, protesters blocked or delayed at least 75 projects in the United States worth $130 billion, according to Study from Data Center WatchIt is a research project supported by artificial intelligence security company 10a Labs. “The number of active opposition groups has doubled from 396 at the end of 2025 to 833 by the end of the first quarter of 2026, and now covers 49 states,” the study says. “More than 235,000 petition signatures were collected this quarter alone.”

In January, the Blackstone-owned data center company… QTS dropped the plans To build a 12 billion dollars Campus in DeForest, Wisconsin, After the protests From community members. Meanwhile, a data center planned for a 580-acre campus in Delaware City is facing roadblocks. Local regulatory bodies decided In March, the planned facility was blocked under the state’s coastal zone law, which bars heavy industry on its shores. And so far in July, opponents Successfully blocked QTS data center (Prince William County, Virginia). The “Digital Gateway” was to be spread over 2,000 acres in an already established state Dealing with rising energy costs From building the data center. Residents were also under pressure Shark tank star Kevin O’Leary to downsize for him The proposed Stratus project campus is 40,000 acres (Box Elder County, Utah).

with New proposals for data centers emerge And as it seems every week, the battle is far from over.

As protests continue in communities across the United States and beyond, a political battle is brewing in Congress. Data centers are a key part of President Donald Trump’s plan to win the AI ​​race against China, which is why he signed Executive order last year To accelerate the construction of sprawling facilities. But not everyone on Capitol Hill agrees with Trump’s position on AI data centers.

With the midterm elections approaching, some Republican candidates are turning away themselves from Trump’s data center-friendly views to gain the support of the population. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) Introduce a bill That would halt the construction of new AI data centers until Congress passes laws that would prevent facilities from raising utility rates or harming the environment. Meanwhile, lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle They support the Taxpayer Protection ActA A set of laws that regulate the agreement Signed by Google, Meta, Microsoft and other tech giants to pay for the energy costs of their data centers. And other legislators Standing behind the Guarantee Rate of Isolation from Data Centers (GRID) law.which would force data centers to use power sources separate from the US electrical grid in an attempt to protect residents from utility bill increases.

Local governments are taking steps to regulate AI data centers as well. Technology Policy Press Reports indicate that both Democratic and Republican led states It has issued 28 laws related to artificial intelligence data centers, including Florida, which introduced rules to block data centers From transferring costs to the population. Idaho Set restrictions On water use in an artificial intelligence data center, while Washington state has removed the tax break For companies operating facilities.

The current patchwork of local laws isn’t enough to rein in the crowd, and bills at the federal level have yet to make their way through Congress, leaving many communities to fend for themselves. Just two people were enough to tie up Apple’s plans in Ireland, and now it takes entire towns and cities to fight off massive data centers coming to their neighbourhoods, such as Build a $27 billion “Hyperion” meta in louisiana, Google MECA project worth $10 billion In Missouri, SpaceXAI’s $20 billion campus In Mississippi, and Stargate data centers worth $500 billion Planned throughout the United States.