A Harvard researcher studying data centers and energy says the political backlash against data-center expansion is accelerating and may be reaching a new phase. The research frames the opposition as a clash between tech companies’ growth plans and local governments’ concerns about air pollution, noise, and the heavy power and water demands of data processing. The piece says there are already more than 1,000 pending data-center proposals across the U.S., while the Trump administration has identified data-center build-out as a strategic priority and signaled possible easing of federal regulation. At the local level, some cities and counties have used short-term moratoriums in places without dedicated zoning rules. For higher education institutions, data centers are increasingly relevant not just as research and infrastructure partners, but as campus-adjacent actors affecting energy contracts and local permitting timelines—especially in regions where universities rely on grid stability. The reported interplay of federal incentives, corporate site selection, and local environmental governance points to a continued strain on community relations and permitting certainty, which can indirectly affect universities’ own infrastructure modernization plans.