Everyone can find a reason to dislike data center construction

The article highlights a growing execution risk for AI and infrastructure strategies: while hyperscalers and AI labs are investing trillions in data centers, local opposition is delaying or disrupting major projects, raising costs, and increasing regulatory scrutiny. For CIOs and technology leaders, this means AI capacity plans can no longer assume frictionless buildout—site selection, energy use, community relations, and permitting are now strategic variables that can affect timelines, resilience, and total cost of ownership. IT organizations should expect more uncertainty around where and when compute becomes available, making vendor diversification, capacity contingency planning, and closer alignment with facilities, legal, and public affairs essential.