{"text":[[{"start":7.45,"text":"Americans are far more likely to oppose the construction of AI data centres than citizens of other big economies, as a grassroots backlash against the rollout of the technology gains momentum across the country."}],[{"start":20.6,"text":"A poll conducted by Public First found that voters in the US, home of almost all leading AI companies, had the lowest appetite for building computing power among 15 large countries, including Japan, Canada, Brazil and the UK."}],[{"start":35.7,"text":"Just 26 per cent of Americans supported increased construction of data centres, while roughly 30 per cent of Britons, Germans and French backed such projects. Support was highest in Nigeria, where 74 per cent believed in building more infrastructure, and in India, at 65 per cent."}],[{"start":53.5,"text":"Seb Wride, head of opinion research at Public First, said: “Our research shows America, the home of Silicon Valley and the majority of the biggest tech companies, has the population least in favour of the very infrastructure needed to support that sector.”"}],[{"start":69.2,"text":"The findings come as the US AI industry and Donald Trump’s administration are increasingly concerned about mounting local opposition to data centres, which is thwarting the sector’s growth. "}],[{"start":81.8,"text":"Dozens of projects collectively worth at least $156bn have been blocked or stalled since 2025, according to Data Center Watch, a research project run by AI security company 10a Labs — precisely as the sector is trying to secure more processing power to serve newer AI models."}],[{"start":102.15,"text":"Researchers at Goldman Sachs last month predicted delays and cancellations mean only half of planned US data centre capacity would be completed on schedule in the next couple of years."}],[{"start":113.05000000000001,"text":"Multiple recent polls have shown support for data centres collapsing in the US, amid rising fears over job losses and the spread of harmful AI content. A Gallup survey conducted last month found 70 per cent of Americans oppose such construction in their community. "}],[{"start":129.85000000000002,"text":"Leading progressive politicians, including Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, have seized on such sentiment to demand a moratorium on data centre developments. Trump’s allies including Steve Bannon have also called for constraints on the rollout of the technology."}],[{"start":145.15000000000003,"text":"But AI chief executives including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and xAI’s Elon Musk have repeatedly warned the US is falling behind economies such as China in construction and that this could hamper America’s attempt to stay ahead in the global AI race."}],[{"start":160.20000000000005,"text":"The backlash has forced some companies, including xAI and Anthropic, to consider building compute capacity in space, despite the logistical and economic constraints."}],[{"start":170.85000000000005,"text":"Public opposition has turned into a political problem for the White House, which has urged the industry to “build, baby, build” and fast-tracked permitting for data centre construction. "}],[{"start":181.45000000000005,"text":"Earlier this year, the president urged companies to commit to carrying the costs of data centre construction and acknowledged that many data projects had been “rejected by communities” which feared they would increase energy prices."}],[{"start":194.75000000000006,"text":"Public First’s poll showed Trump voters were more likely to support data centre construction. Roughly 37 per cent of those who voted for the president wanted more projects built, compared with less than a quarter of those who voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"