Industry groups argue the data centers bring major benefits—4.7 million US jobs and $162 billion in taxes in 2023—and say many communities still want them|Tedder|CC BY-SA 4.0
Georgia is one of the fastest-growing data-center markets, boosted by tax breaks, but backlash over the AI infrastructure developments is rising.
Residents worry that the AI boom-driven infrastructure developments consume huge amounts of water, electricity, and land, while paying little in taxes and helping push utility bills higher.
A new Data Center Watch report shows a sharp surge in local resistance. From May 2024 to March 2025, $64 billion in projects were blocked or delayed, but between March and June this year, around $98 billion in projects were stalled.
One major $17 billion Atlanta-area project was paused after a county imposed a 180-day moratorium.
Candidates and lawmakers across the country are now campaigning on the issue. In Virginia—home to the world’s largest data-center cluster—both parties have been fighting controversial expansions like the Prince William Digital Gateway, which would add more than 30 data centers near protected land.
Industry groups argue the facilities bring major benefits—4.7 million US jobs and $162 billion in taxes in 2023—and say many communities still want them.
Despite rising resistance, tech investment continues. Meta alone plans to spend $600 billion on AI infrastructure, including data centers, over the next three years.