Anti–AI data center expansion protests swell across 142 rallies nationwide in the US

Led by the grassroots organization Humans First, protests were held simultaneously across 142 locations in 42 U.S. states on July 19 (local time Saturday) to oppose the disorderly expansion of AI data centers.
(Backgrounder: America’s first case》Maine plans to ban construction of large data centers; public outrage erupts as AI consumes too much electricity)
(Additional context: Deep investigation: The chaos, truths, and lies behind America’s 1,240 AI data centers)

Table of contents

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• Protest scale: simultaneous action in 42 states
• Reuters poll: only 14% of residents support building factories in their hometowns
• Four “hidden costs” from developers
• Humans First’s four core demands
• Expansion of AI data centers in Taiwan

In the U.S., at least 42 states and 142 locations held protests simultaneously on July 19 (local time Saturday) against the expansion of AI data centers. Led by the grassroots organization Humans First, this nationwide public action directly targets the chain effects caused by tech giants building data centers in different places: surging electricity bills, misuse of water resources, and worsening environmental pollution.

Protest scale: simultaneous action in 42 states

According to Reuters, this protest covered at least 142 locations across the U.S., the first time a nationwide synchronized action targeting AI data centers has been held. Humans First listed participating cities and an event timetable on its official event page.

Protesters held signs calling on technology companies and developers to slow down expansion and give communities a voice at decisive moments. From New York to California, from Texas to Maine, residents in each state face similar problems: data centers take away the community’s electricity and water resources, but residents cannot share in the development windfall.

Reuters poll: only 14% of residents support building facilities in their hometowns

A Reuters poll last month (June) showed that public tolerance for rapid data center expansion is being rapidly depleted:

• Only 33% of respondents believe that rapid construction of data centers is “overall more beneficial than harmful”
• Only 14% support building data centers in their own communities

This means more than 60% of people take a neutral or negative view of data center expansion. The poll covers major towns nationwide, reflecting not only protest voices in coastal cities, but a nationwide shift in public opinion.

Four “hidden costs” from developers

The protests focus on four chain reactions triggered by data center construction:

• Rising electricity bills — Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity, pushing up local power prices; residents’ electricity bills rise by 5%—12% per year
• Misuse of water resources — Cooling systems consume huge quantities of water, affecting agriculture and household water supply
• Worsening environmental pollution — Gas power generation and coolant emissions intensify air pollution
• Confidentiality agreements clearing the way — Some local officials and developers sign confidentiality agreements, allowing projects to move forward without public oversight

Humans First’s four core demands

Humans First put forward four specific demands, not just slogans—aimed at key gaps in the data center development process:

• Open and transparent development process — Data center construction plans should publicly solicit community input rather than being handled privately through confidentiality agreements
• Protect local resources and the environment — Set electricity usage limits, water resource quotas, and environmental impact assessment standards
• Share community development windfalls — Prioritize well-paying union jobs for local residents so they can share the wealth brought by AI infrastructure
• Strict accountability mechanisms — Establish a developer commitment tracking system to prevent the situation of “breaking promises after building” from repeating

Expansion of AI data centers in Taiwan

As a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing, Taiwan also faces the challenge of rapid AI data center expansion. TSMC’s expansion plans at its Southern Taiwan Science Park site, as well as major cloud providers (Google, Microsoft, AWS) establishing data centers in Taiwan, are all accompanied by increased electricity demand and competition for land resources.

According to data from Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, as of the first half of 2026, more than 40 large data centers across Taiwan have entered operation or are under construction, mainly concentrated in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and the Taipei metropolitan area. As in the U.S., Taiwanese residents are also starting to focus on the impact of data center electricity use on electricity prices—Taiwan Power Company has already warned that the share of electricity consumption by AI data centers continues to rise, which may raise electricity bills in the next 2—3 years.

The signal released by this nationwide synchronized protest across the U.S. is that the expansion of AI infrastructure is no longer a “background development,” but is gradually becoming a “visible issue” in people’s everyday lives. If Taiwan wants to avoid the same kind of public backlash, it should build an open and transparent development mechanism now, rather than waiting until residents’ electricity bills rise before discussions begin.