Editorial illustration for 10a Labs Launches Independent Data Center Watch Project, Separate from AI Services
10a Labs Unveils Global Data Center Transparency Initiative
Data Center Watch Unfunded, Separate from 10a Labs' AI Risk Services
The fight against data centers has become an expensive problem. A new report shows local opposition has just stalled or blocked $64 billion worth of construction. The people tracking this say the pushback is accelerating fast and it’s coming from the ground up.
Data Center Watch published its second quarterly findings this week. The project is run by Miquel Vila, who also works at 10a Labs, a firm that analyzes risks for AI companies. He is adamant that this watch is a separate, unfunded effort.
It doesn’t take client money. Its only product is counting the losses.
(While 10a Labs does offer risk analysis for AI companies, report author Miquel Vila says that the Data Center Watch project is separate from the company's main work, and is not paid for by any clients.) But this week's report finds that the tide has turned sharply in the months since the group's first public output. The second quarter of this year, the new report finds, represented "a sharp escalation" in data center opposition across the country. Data Center Watch's first report covered a period from May 2024 to March of 2025; in that period, it found, local opposition had blocked or delayed a total of $64 billion in data center projects (six projects were blocked entirely, while 10 were delayed).
Six projects are dead. Ten more are in limbo. The speed of this shift is what matters.
Between March and June, what was a series of local disputes became a coherent national trend. The report calls it a sharp escalation. That is a polite term for a wall.
Vila’s insistence on separating this tally from his firm’s paid work is its main value. Without funding, there is no agenda. You get a simple, stubborn record of friction.
The industry narrative is one of inevitable expansion. This count tells the other story. It shows where the pavement ends.
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Common Questions Answered
How does the Data Center Watch project differ from 10a Labs' core AI services?
The Data Center Watch project is deliberately maintained as an independent initiative, separate from 10a Labs' primary AI risk analysis services. Report author Miquel Vila emphasizes that the project is not funded by clients, ensuring an unbiased approach to tracking data center developments.
What key findings did the Data Center Watch report reveal about data center opposition?
The project's second quarter report identified a sharp escalation in data center opposition across the country. This significant shift suggests growing challenges and potential resistance to data center expansion and development.
Why is the independence of the Data Center Watch project considered important?
The project's autonomous nature allows for an unbiased perspective on data center dynamics and challenges. By maintaining separation from client interests, the project can provide more objective insights into the complex data center ecosystem.
Further Reading
- White House AI Action Plan Signals Environmental Regulation Reform for Data Centers — Sidley Environmental Energy Brief
- Growth of data centers requires new policies to mitigate local community impacts — Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- 'Roadmap' shows the environmental impact of AI data center boom — Cornell Chronicle
- Data Centers Issue Brief — National Caucus of Environmental Legislators
- Data Centers and Local Environmental Considerations — National League of Cities
