Local opposition, not ROI, will determine AI’s build-out pace

Legislation won’t stop it.

March 26, 2026

Jon Peddie

Across the US, there are dozens of local moratoriums on data center construction, and now Washington is trying to pass national legislation, however unlikely. While some want to hit the pause button on these build-outs, others, including the Trump administration, want to pick up the pace—due to associated CapEx and construction jobs. The opposition, however, claims the job numbers are far less than cited, and water and electricity costs are being pushed to local residents. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a bill to freeze all new data center construction until Congress passes AI legislation. Nobody expects it

...

Enjoy full access with a TechWatch subscription!

TechWatch is the front line of JPR information gathering service, comprising current stories of interest to the graphics industry spanning the core areas of graphics hardware and software, workstations, gaming, and design.

A subscription to TechWatch includes 4 hours of consulting time to be used over the course of the subscription.

Already a subscriber? Login below

Local opposition, not ROI, will determine AI’s build-out pace

Enjoy full access with a TechWatch subscription!

This content is restricted

Login