At least 75 data-center projects were stopped in the first three months of 2026, according to Data Center Watch. The halt represents a significant deceleration in the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure across the United States.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the suspension of all new A.I. data center projects pending an audit of their costs and potential benefits. This action followed a statement made eight months prior where he said, "Texas will be the centerpiece for A.I. data centers for Google in the entire world."

New York Governor Kathy Hochul enacted a statewide moratorium on new data centers in July. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis set conditions on new data centers in Florida in May. These state-level actions contributed to the broader slowdown in project approvals and construction.

Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed a federal moratorium on new data centers in March. The legislative efforts at both state and federal levels reflect growing scrutiny of the industry's rapid growth and its local impacts.

More than 4,000 data centers have been built across the United States. Approximately 4,000 additional data centers are planned in the United States. The scale of existing and proposed infrastructure shows the magnitude of the current pause in development.

Two recent data-center-related electrical surges occurred in northern Virginia. Utility companies in northern Virginia fielded complaints about flickering lights and strange noises coming from refrigerators after recent electrical surges, according to an expert from the Union of Concerned Scientists. These incidents illustrate some of the operational challenges associated with high-density power consumption.

Microsoft announced a new data center site in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. The Microsoft data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, involves 46.6 miles of deep foundation piles, 26.5 million pounds of structural steel, 120 miles of medium-voltage underground cable, and 72.6 miles of mechanical piping. Opponents timed driving past the Port Washington data center site at highway speed as taking 1 minute and 42 seconds, according to tech journalist Jasmine Sun.

Approximately 70% of Americans oppose building hyper-scale data centers in their area, according to Gallup. The opposition extends across political lines, with 63% of Republicans opposing building hyper-scale data centers in their area, according to Gallup. This public sentiment has influenced political campaigns and local zoning decisions.

The suspension of at least 75 projects in a single quarter matches the scale of halted investments seen throughout the entire previous year. This rapid deceleration indicates a shift in how governments and communities respond to the physical footprint of AI technology. State governors and federal legislators are increasingly intervening to assess costs, benefits, and community impacts before allowing further expansion.

Industry leaders maintain that the technological necessity of AI will eventually overcome ideological opposition. Microsoft A.I. C.E.O. Mustafa Suleyman said in May, "The technology would be able to automate most white-collar tasks within twelve to eighteen months." Anthropic C.E.O. Dario Amodei said in May, "We’re going to find that ideology will not survive the nature of this technology. It won’t survive reality." He added, "[The issues] are gonna become bipartisan and universal because everyone will recognize the necessity of it."

Why It Matters

With approximately 70% of Americans, including 63% of Republicans, opposing hyper-scale data centers in their areas, public sentiment has driven governors and federal legislators to halt or condition new projects. This bipartisan resistance has interrupted the planned expansion of roughly 4,000 additional facilities, stopping at least 75 projects valued at $130 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone. The shift from widespread approval to moratoriums reflects growing political pressure to address local impacts like electrical surges before further infrastructure development proceeds.