Local resistance to AI data centers echoes backlash against Bitcoin mining

AI hyperscalers and developers racing to build power‑dense data centers in the United States are encountering local opposition similar to what Bitcoin miners faced, Miner Mag reported, with residents and officials objecting to electricity demand, infrastructure costs and long‑term environmental impact.

Miner Mag said the parallels are visible in states including Texas, Georgia, Illinois and Mississippi, where communities question the long‑term costs of hosting energy‑intensive infrastructure. The newsletter noted that Bitcoin mining projects historically promised jobs and a stronger tax base but that those benefits did not always materialize, fueling opposition.

Some communities have moved to temporarily halt new AI data center developments while officials review zoning rules, backup generation plans and potential strain on local infrastructure. Miner Mag cited industry data showing about $64 billion in U.S. data center projects have already been delayed or blocked because of local opposition and referenced a map highlighting backlash to proposed expansion plans by companies such as Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet.

Facing resistance, companies including Microsoft and OpenAI are adopting more community‑oriented infrastructure strategies; OpenAI has said it will "pay its own way" for energy costs associated with its expanding AI footprint, a move Miner Mag described as echoing responses from the Bitcoin mining industry.