Ten states in the United States have passed 38 measures to restrict data centers

In the U.S. midterm elections, voters in 10 states passed 38 measures to restrict data centers and elected several Democratic governors who advocate for a pause in data center construction. The newly elected governors of Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, and Texas promised during their campaigns to stop or delay data center construction statewide; the new governors of New York and Oregon pledged to extend the local pause measures already in place. Candidates supporting a pause in construction in Alaska and Kansas are currently leading, but the results have not yet been officially confirmed.

According to market intelligence company Cleanview, about 40% of the planned data center capacity in the U.S. is set to be located in the aforementioned states. Additionally, 46 local ballot measures have already been passed or are expected to pass, which will also hinder data center development, with at least 17 of these directly prohibiting the construction of large data centers.