Executives at OpenAI have begun assessing whether the company must lower its hardware capacity expectations for next year following a sweeping series of local election losses for the data center industry. In dozens of jurisdictions across 10 states, voters passed moratoria or bans on new facilities, including a loss in 43 of 44 monitored measures. The widespread opposition prompted Goldman Sachs to warn that up to 45% of planned data center capacity in the US could be placed at risk.
The infrastructure threat extends to state governments, where newly elected governors in several states now oversee a pipeline of 159 GW of planned capacity—roughly 41% of the national total—that could face regulatory pauses. This political shift has already triggered local reactions, such as in Piqua, Ohio, where voters recalled the mayor for supporting a planned $1B facility by Meta. Meta President Dina Powell McCormick noted that the voting results complicate the construction of new domestic sites, adding that the company is exploring expanding existing facilities and building outside the US.