America’s data center fight is a preview of what's to come for the rest of the world

As the AI boom becomes a major part of political debate, the public backlash against data centers in the U.S. is spreading to Europe and Asia — raising risks for investors.

Across the Atlantic, negative sentiment is growing in Europe, which has more at stake due to its densely populated countries and higher electricity prices, experts told CNBC.

Similar tensions are emerging in South Korea, with growing opposition to data centers near residential areas and proposals for tighter local restrictions, even as the national government pushes to accelerate development.

Public opposition has already impacted around $42 billion of data center investments in Europe, in account delays and cancellations, according to research from STL Partners. That compares to around $77 billion in the U.S.

The pushback could be the "straw that breaks the camel's back," Olivier Darmouni, associate professor at HEC Paris who specializes in the energy transition, told CNBC.

Data center opposition is growing in Europe

More than 70 data center projects in Europe were rejected or restricted between January and April — more than in all of 2025, according to the European Data Center Monitor. It found that pushback had snowballed from local town halls to courts, regulators and parliaments.

Scotland has paused planning approvals for new hyperscale data centers after campaigners called on the government to avoid the "cautionary tale" of Ireland, where overwhelming power demand led to a moratorium.

Constraints have been rising in the Nordics, where investors were drawn to large tracts of land and renewable energy. After a surge in power applications, Denmark passed an emergency law that could see data centers at the back of the queue for grid power applications.

Spain also proposed new data center rules this summer, requiring data centers to source 80% of their electricity from renewables. Projects in the U.K. have stalled after pushback from locals.

"The gains of AI are very diffused," Darmouni told CNBC.