AI’s server farms face a public revolt—turns out “compute campuses” don’t power the charm 😄

Voters in at least 29 U.S. jurisdictions backed bans or restrictions on data-center development Tuesday, dealing a setback to the infrastructure buildout supporting artificial intelligence. Ballotpedia tracked 41 data-center measures on November 3 ballots across 10 states: 28 sought to curb development, while 13 would permit or support projects, meaning rejection of the latter could also count as a defeat for developers.

The measures ranged from outright prohibitions to requirements for additional public approval. Some were nonbinding advisory votes and therefore do not automatically stop construction. In Ohio, all 10 charter measures backed by Conserve Ohio passed, while more than three-quarters of voters in Hubbard, Ohio, supported a data-center ban. Voters in Granville, Trenton and Sunbury backed restrictions by margins of roughly 78% to 82%. Nearly 80% of voters in Joliet Township, Illinois, rejected an advisory proposal supporting AI data centers, and more than 60% in Janesville, Wisconsin, approved another public vote before major development at a former General Motors site linked to a proposed data center.

Data centers house the chips and servers used to train and run AI systems. Their electricity demand has turned proposed campuses into local disputes over utility bills and grid capacity, with opponents also citing water use, noise and deals negotiated without sufficient public scrutiny. Industry leaders have warned that blanket restrictions could put U.S. AI investment at risk, with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink raising the issue last month.

OpenAI announced its Grid Protectors Program on Monday, a national initiative intended to let future AI facilities reduce electricity consumption during emergencies and periods of high demand, potentially lowering costs for other customers. The ChatGPT developer has also sought to rebrand data centers as “compute campuses,” distancing the facilities from the negative connotations surrounding their development.

The votes came alongside wins for politicians advocating tighter oversight. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas after campaigning for a moratorium on new projects, while Ohio’s governor-elect Amy Acton supports a pause and stricter rules.