--- title: Big Tech is on a charm offensive to get its data centres... description: Local opposition has stalled or blocked at least 75 US data centre projects worth about $130bn in the first three months of the year, nearly matching all of... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/big-tech-is-on-a-charm-offensive-to-get-its-data-centres-built-wsrmrtr25 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Big Tech is on a charm offensive to get its data centres built | daily.dev og:description: Local opposition has stalled or blocked at least 75 US data centre projects worth about $130bn in the first three months of the year, nearly matching all of... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/big-tech-is-on-a-charm-offensive-to-get-its-data-centres-built-wsrmrtr25 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/wSrMRtR25.png og:image:alt: Big Tech is on a charm offensive to get its data centres built og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Big Tech is on a charm offensive to get its data centres built **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 5 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Local opposition has stalled or blocked at least 75 US data centre projects worth about $130bn in the first three months of the year, nearly matching all of last year's stalled value combined, according to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. Anger centers on water and energy use, higher utility bills, and job-loss fears, with resistance strongest in Michigan and Georgia and spreading across red and blue states alike. In response, Big Tech has shifted to a charm offensive: Meta runs TV ads, OpenAI's Sam Altman pitches community benefits, Microsoft dropped tax-break requests and NDAs, and OpenAI is pledging to pay its own power costs and conserve water near Savannah, Georgia. States including New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania have issued executive orders pausing or restricting new permits, while organized groups like the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, and local coalitions coordinate opposition, with mixed results for both sides. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How much value in US data centre projects has been stalled by local opposition this year? Local opposition blocked or delayed at least 75 data centre projects worth about $130bn in the first three months of the year, according to research group Data Center Watch cited by Bloomberg. That figure nearly matches the total value of projects stalled during all of the prior year, showing a sharp acceleration in community pushback against AI infrastructure buildout. _daily.dev surfaces reporting like this for developers tracking how AI infrastructure buildout is being reshaped by local politics._ ### What concessions has Microsoft made to communities opposing its data centre projects? Microsoft said it would stop seeking tax breaks from communities where it builds and unveiled a 'community-first AI infrastructure' policy in January, pledging to pay its own way so data centres don't raise local power bills. In Lowell Township, Michigan, it also scrapped non-disclosure agreements and held town halls after residents mobilized against the project. _Engineers weighing where AI compute gets built can follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### What is the White House's Ratepayer Protection Pledge for data centres? It is a non-binding framework asking tech companies to pay for their own power supply and invest in local jobs rather than passing data centre costs onto ratepayers. More than 300 companies had signed the pledge by early August, part of a broader response to state-level pauses like New York's permit freeze and Texas's project audit. _daily.dev helps track policy moves like this for anyone following AI infrastructure investment and its constraints._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Why everyone is turning on data centers](https://daily.dev/posts/why-everyone-is-turning-on-data-centers-tkdefhoxc) · The Verge · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Data centre backlash goes national as protests hit 42 US states](https://daily.dev/posts/data-centre-backlash-goes-national-as-protests-hit-42-us-states-xo8zs9tbl) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [A growing political reckoning is coming for data centers, POLITICO Poll shows](https://daily.dev/posts/a-growing-political-reckoning-is-coming-for-data-centers-politico-poll-shows-ihy0gmlwm) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ai](https://daily.dev/tags/ai), [#microsoft](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft), [#sustainability](https://daily.dev/tags/sustainability) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/big-tech-is-on-a-charm-offensive-to-get-its-data-centres-built-wsrmrtr25) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Big Tech is on a charm offensive to get its data centres built","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/big-tech-is-on-a-charm-offensive-to-get-its-data-centres-built-wsrmrtr25","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/big-tech-is-on-a-charm-offensive-to-get-its-data-centres-built-wsrmrtr25"},"datePublished":"2026-08-20T11:10:43.218Z","dateModified":"2026-08-23T22:43:54.120Z","description":"Local opposition has stalled or blocked at least 75 US data centre projects worth about $130bn in the first three months of the year, nearly matching all of...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/4d0e41e64ff5ef32de06e4e077702bce?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/4d0e41e64ff5ef32de06e4e077702bce?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Next Web","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Next Web","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/tnw","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/big-tech-is-on-a-charm-offensive-to-get-its-data-centres-built-wsrmrtr25","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"ai,microsoft,sustainability","timeRequired":"PT5M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Next Web","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/tnw"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Big Tech is on a charm offensive to get its data centres built"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/big-tech-is-on-a-charm-offensive-to-get-its-data-centres-built-wsrmrtr25#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How much value in US data centre projects has been stalled by local opposition this year?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Local opposition blocked or delayed at least 75 data centre projects worth about $130bn in the first three months of the year, according to research group Data Center Watch cited by Bloomberg. That figure nearly matches the total value of projects stalled during all of the prior year, showing a sharp acceleration in community pushback against AI infrastructure buildout. daily.dev surfaces reporting like this for developers tracking how AI infrastructure buildout is being reshaped by local politics."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What concessions has Microsoft made to communities opposing its data centre projects?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Microsoft said it would stop seeking tax breaks from communities where it builds and unveiled a 'community-first AI infrastructure' policy in January, pledging to pay its own way so data centres don't raise local power bills. In Lowell Township, Michigan, it also scrapped non-disclosure agreements and held town halls after residents mobilized against the project. 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