After US midterm votes brought dozens of local curbs on data centres, the backlash is spreading: Norway's grid operator Statnett has paused new grid capacity for them, according to Reuters. The FT says analysts see a chance for China to catch up on AI.
Rapid construction of data centres for artificial intelligence has drawn local opposition over land, power and cost. President Donald Trump and the AI industry back fast expansion, while a growing number of Democratic candidates and local campaigners want projects paused or restricted.
Norway's grid operator Statnett has paused new grid capacity for data centres to protect the power system, according to Reuters. The Financial Times reports that analysts see a window for China to catch up on AI if newly elected Democratic politicians take a tougher line on US data centre construction.
Opposition to AI data centres, seen in the US midterms, now reaches European streets and Indonesian taps. Developers are starting to retreat.
Voters rejected data centres in 40 of 41 US ballot measures, according to the Financial Times. Protests against new projects have spread in Europe, with activists storming the site of a planned Microsoft data centre in Amsterdam and demonstrations reported in Dublin and Helsinki.
Activists broke into a Microsoft data centre construction site in Amsterdam on Friday, as protests spread across Europe. In the US, Democrats are pushing for pauses after the midterms.
Meta and OpenAI say voter hostility will complicate data-centre building after Tuesday's US midterms. Microsoft turned down an expanded Nscale deal, and European activists are protesting in 15 countries.
Democrats who promised to halt or restrict data-centre construction won governorships in Texas, Georgia and Ohio on Tuesday. Bloomberg reports that CoreWeave bonds fell to new lows.