A lack of transparency around ownership, power and water requirements was cited as the most common issue in 46 cancelled projects across a two-year period in 20 states.
A new report has found that concerns about transparency in data center development have helped scuttle numerous projects over the past couple of years.
The report from Carbon Direct, an energy and climate solutions company, found that, between Jan. 2024 and May 2026, at least 46 artificial intelligence data center projects in 20 states across the United States worth a total of $170 billion were publicly delayed or cancelled after community opposition.
A lack of transparency around those data center projects was cited as the most common reason for them to be abandoned. That lack of transparency includes whether elected officials have signed nondisclosure agreements, who owns the project, complex ownership structures and those projects’ impacts on water and power. Being open with residents early in the process is crucial to overcome that perception, experts said.
Route Fifty
By Chris Teale,
Managing Editor, Route Fifty
July 31, 2026