Opinion

Silicon Valley is losing the data center fight, risking a repeat of a classic failure

Local opposition has blocked or delayed $64B in projects, with 71% of Americans opposing builds in their communities

By Chris Johnson , Aiden Buzzetti Fox News

Published August 19, 2026 5:00am EDT

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Gov Abbott defends data center pause despite Trump's criticism

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joins 'The Sunday Briefing' to respond to President Donald Trump's critique of his data center halt. He also addresses a controversial surrogacy case and DFW Airport's decision to scrap plans for Islamic foot-washing stations.

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Silicon Valley has spent decades winning consumer loyalty. In unprecedented numbers, people have Apple iPhones in their pockets and Amazon Alexas on their counters while they browse on Google and write in Microsoft Word. Americans have shown themselves eager to try every new technology, from health tracking rings to doorbell cameras to robot vacuums.

Yet Silicon Valley has seemingly been caught flat-footed facing something it has never faced before: the near-united opposition of the American people. When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, the tech industry has never been more unpopular. The industry that has created the tools of modern life is losing the fight for public opinion because, ironically, it is using the wrong tools, at least in the arena of political advocacy.

The tech industry certainly funds a formidable political machine. But it’s a machine focused on fighting over what happens on screens — content moderation, privacy, antitrust, intellectual property. Its political teams are not built for what AI actually requires: power plants, transmission lines, water rights, land use permits and the approval of........

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