Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says data center builders ‘dug their own grave’ with public opinion

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, once a data-center booster, says companies constructing the behemoth AI complexes have “dug their own grave” as public opposition over new construction surges.  

The GOP pol went said Sunday they have botched the buildout by rushing into communities without first winning over their support, fomenting mounting backlash to the sprawling warehouses that power AI.

“Gaining the support of people in local communities is essential,” Abbott told n ABC’s “This Week.”

“They basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused for them,” he continued. “And that’s why they got the backlash they deserve.” 

Abbott’s comments came as pols across the US – even ones who previously backed data-center development – have been scrambling to respond to rising public disdain for the hulking structures that have come to symbolize anxieties over AI. Concerns include the potential for widespread job loss and the sites’ environmental impact.

About six in 10 of Americans now oppose construction of a new data center in their community, according to a survey conducted in June and July by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, up from just below half in March. Over 500 jurisdictions across the US have slammed the brakes on construction of massive data centers, including more than 150 localities that passed bans last month alone.

Tech giants, meanwhile are rushing, to fix the centers’ negative image by hosting community meetings, and have softened their own headline-making predictions that AI will upend workforces.  

Abbott revealed last week on Fox News Sunday that less than 10% of data center companies have responded to a Texas request for information needed to project future power demand. He put a pause on new data-center construction earlier this month, saying projects need to be audited before they can move forward.

The governor previously welcomed data centers in his state, last November calling Texas the “epicenter of AI development” while announcing a Google-linked $40 billion investment into three data center campuses.

Abbott’s stance has abruptly changed, as detailed in an Axios report. In June, he directed state regulators to force data centers to fork over the full cost of the electrical infrastructure they require and said he intended to phase out tax incentives.

Earlier this month, Abbott called on regulators to audit data centers that want to hook up to Texas’ power grid before giving projects the green light to move forward.

Abbott isn’t the only governor to change course on the AI data center boom. Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who just last year cheered a $20 billion Amazon data center investment in his state, slapped the sector with fresh restrictions last week – calling the new rules the “strictest guardrails in the nation.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last month imposed a one-year moratorium on “hyper-scale” data centers.

Data center backlash is quickly morphing into a key political issue ahead of the midterms. The Senate GOP campaign arm, in a private memo to top AI companies reviewed by Axios, cautioned that negative views of US data centers were risking the party’s chances for success in Ohio races.