American voters roundly rejected data centers nearly anyplace they were on the ballot Tuesday, a rebuke certain to rattle investors already expanding skittish concerning the AI buildout. Residents in additional than 30 localities throughout nine states voted for moratoriums, outright bans, and another measures, several in straightforward reply to particular projects underway. Edgewater, Fla. overwhelmingly voted to embed a data-center ban in the city’s charter, and voters in Perry, Ohio passed a measure placing financial and operational constraints on hyperscalers seeking tax breaks. Democrats operating in additional than 130 national and gubernatorial races aired anti-tech or anti-data center ads this cycle, one inspection showed. The force pushed several Republican candidates including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, an AI booster fair a few months ago, into promises of tougher regulation; he misplaced anyway.
Banks and asset managers financing the buildout have already begun treating local opposition as a credit risk, during hyperscalers are rushing to hire community liaisons. Meanwhile, tech companies bracing for the vibe change are trying to rebrand the data centers as “compute campuses” alongside blended results, Semafor’s Ashley Gold reported.
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