Gallup finds 71% of Americans would oppose local data-center construction
Major technology companies are responding to that opposition by escalating community-investment offers, jobs guarantees, and open-house events. The shift marks a break from the speed, confidentiality, and political connections that previously let the industry advance large computing facilities on favorable terms, and reflects what tech executives describe as a recognition that the politics around the projects have changed.
OpenAI hosted an open house in July at the Effingham County College & Career Academy in Georgia, drawing roughly 1,000 residents to hear about a planned data center near Savannah. Attendees filed past protesters holding signs reading “I didn’t vote for AI” and “You can’t drink data!!!” before passing through booths staffed by OpenAI employees, scanning QR codes linked to a job board, and viewing renderings of the proposed facility. A taco bar provided additional fare. In announcing the project, OpenAI pledged $80 million in community investment and up to $71 million in coding credits to local students.
OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane said hosting the event was “an important piece” of winning community buy-in. “People really do want to know, like, ‘Are my electricity bills gonna go up or not? Is this gonna impact my water supply? Am I gonna pay more or less in taxes?’” he said.
Meta announced earlier in August a $1 billion “Future Is For Everyone” fund directed at communities hosting Meta data centers. The company plans up to $145 billion in capital spending this year, largely to expand AI infrastructure. In a 6,500-word essay, Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg pointed to Richland Parish, Louisiana, where sales-tax collections tied to the company’s Hyperion data-center construction produced teacher bonuses of as much as $50,000.
Lindsay Elin, a vice president of public policy at Meta, said the $1 billion fund will look different in each community. “There’s an opportunity to think about how we’re showing up and being a good partner, and we need to do that on a scale we haven’t done before,” she said. Meta previously distributed roughly $94 million through a prior community grant program.
In his essay, Zuckerberg said Meta data centers would become “water-positive,” restoring more water than they use in their host communities by 2030. In “high water stress” areas, Zuckerberg said the goal was to restore 200% of the water the company uses. Water needed for chip-cooling systems has been a rallying point for opposition, although proponents note that newer systems require dramatically less water or use air-cooling. Meta also launched a “workforce academy” program offering a free five-week course that guarantees graduates a job at a Meta data-center construction site.
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said the politics of data centers had become more prominent and unambiguous across the country. “The politics of data centers have become more prominent and unambiguous across the country,” he said. Smith said Microsoft executives recognized the need for a more community-focused approach after seeing the issue prove pivotal in 2025 elections, including New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, where Democrat Mikie Sherrill campaigned heavily on electricity prices and won. “As soon as, especially, the New Jersey race was over, it was clear that this was on a different trajectory,” he said. Two months later Microsoft announced a series of commitments around electricity, water use, jobs, and taxes.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a temporary ban on large data-center construction in July. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order this week placing strict guardrails on new data centers.
Nondisclosure agreements between data-center developers and local governments have been a particular lightning rod for the industry, drawing condemnation from activists who say tech companies use them to secure approvals without giving locals a chance to oppose projects. In March, Microsoft said it would end the use of NDAs with local governments where it plans to build.
In Gilroy, California, many residents learned of a $2 billion Amazon.com data center after construction had already begun, The Wall Street Journal reported. Amazon subsequently met with locals and held its own open house, said Roger Wehner, vice president of economic development at Amazon Web Services. Wehner said Amazon has contributed more than $1 billion to community partners and organizations around the world over the past three years. Amazon said the Gilroy project went through a multiyear approval process that included public notices and periods for public comment.
Responding to concerns about utility bills, Amazon, OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, Google, and others signed the White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge earlier this year, committing to cover the cost of the electricity their facilities use rather than passing it on to consumers.
Ben Green, an assistant professor of information and public policy at the University of Michigan, said he sees a disconnect between companies’ public-relations tactics and their actions. “They’re saying on the one hand, ‘Oh, we want to be a good neighbor. We want to support the community.’ On the other hand, they’re fighting back against moratorium bills and other regulations,” he said.
Clifford Young, chair of Ipsos Public Affairs, attributed the opposition to a “broader-based belief that the system is broken and no longer working for the average person…it’s become, I would say, even a poster child for it.”
Microsoft’s Smith acknowledged limits to messaging alone. “People are smart. Even if you don’t inform them, they find ways to inform themselves,” he said.