Data‑centre build limits grow
Nearly half of proposed U.S. data centre projects are facing delays this year because of local opposition, energy concerns and permitting issues. (okenergytoday.com) Industry coverage is framing power, permits and community tolerance as the new scarcity that constrains AI infrastructure expansion. (datacenterknowledge.com) Separately, a market forecast highlights surging power demand for data centres — Goldman Sachs projects a roughly 220% increase by 2030 — while regional investment growth is also being tracked for Southeast Asia. (benzinga.com) (prnewswire.com)
The United States is finding that the hard part of the artificial intelligence buildout is no longer chips alone, but land, power lines and permits. (okenergytoday.com) Analysts at Sightline Climate told Bloomberg that data centers drawing as much as 12 gigawatts were slated to come online in 2026, but only about one-third had actually started construction. Bloomberg’s report, echoed by Oklahoma Energy Today, said nearly half of planned U.S. projects this year are likely to be delayed or canceled. (okenergytoday.com) The delays are being tied to local opposition, reviews by government agencies, and questions about electricity and water use. Bloomberg also reported that dependence on imported electrical gear can stall an entire project if one missing component holds up the chain. (okenergytoday.com) A data center is a warehouse full of servers, and the newest artificial intelligence sites use far more electricity than older web-hosting buildings. Goldman Sachs said on March 4 that it now expects global data-center power demand to rise 220% by 2030 from 2023 levels, up from its previous 175% forecast. (goldmansachs.com) The U.S. power system is already feeling that load. The Energy Information Administration said in March that U.S. electricity demand grew about 1.7% a year from 2020 to 2025, after averaging 0.1% annual growth from 2005 to 2019, and it said data centers are driving that increase. (eia.gov) Federal and state officials are starting to respond. Data Center Knowledge reported that Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently proposed an Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, while Maine lawmakers approved the text of a bill for a temporary ban on new data-center development. (datacenterknowledge.com) That pressure is also local. Data Center Knowledge said at least 36 U.S. data-center projects were delayed or blocked between May 2024 and June 2025, disrupting an estimated $162 billion in investment, and it cited Microsoft’s proposed site in Caledonia, Wisconsin, as one project halted after community opposition. (datacenterknowledge.com) Operators say they are trying to answer those complaints before projects harden into fights. Data Center Knowledge said Microsoft has rolled out a “Community-First AI Plan” that promises grid upgrades, full tax payments, water stewardship, workforce development and community investment in places where it builds. (datacenterknowledge.com) The building spree has not stopped outside the United States. Arizton said in an April 2026 market report that Southeast Asia’s data-center construction market was worth $6.59 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $17.65 billion by 2031, with regional power capacity reaching 1,435 megawatts. (arizton.com) The result is a more crowded race for the same basics: substations, transformers, construction crews and community approval. In 2026, the limit on artificial intelligence infrastructure is increasingly whether a project can get connected and accepted, not whether a company wants to build it. (goldmansachs.com)
