Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel says opposition to data center construction is mounting across the U.S., a development that could shape the trajectory of the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom.
In an interview with CNBC’s Becky Quick on Wednesday, Abel said there is now “a lot more pushback in the communities across the U.S.” against the sprawling computing facilities that have become a hallmark of the AI era.
Berkshire’s interest in the buildout is primarily tied to the power and electricity generation needed to run these sites, according to Abel. But the conglomerate’s involvement comes with a condition: it wants to work with hyperscale computing companies only if doing so doesn’t hurt existing customers.
“We are interested in serving these hyperscalers … if there was no impact to the rates of our other customers,” Abel said.
His remarks underscore a tension that has been building for months. Wall Street analysts and investors have pointed to an organized political movement resisting major computing construction projects, often over concerns about local resource consumption and environmental impact.
New York State has already enacted a moratorium on data center construction, and several other states are weighing bans or restrictions of varying intensity. There are roughly 4,700 data centers in the U.S. today, and that number continues to grow, according to industry figures cited in the CNBC report.
The issue is also becoming a political flashpoint. Mizuho analysts said in a note to clients on Tuesday that investors increasingly view data centers as a potential issue in the upcoming midterm elections.
“This is clearly an evolving situation as some investors question the set-up with upcoming mid-term elections and validity of claims around resource consumption and limited long-term job creation,” wrote Vikram Malhotra at Mizuho.
The pushback arrives as utilities and power providers evaluate how to meet surging electricity demand from data centers without straining local grids or sparking rate increases for households and businesses. Berkshire’s position reflects a broader wariness among power companies about being seen as enabling an industry whose local benefits are increasingly questioned.
Abel’s comments suggest that even as the AI buildout accelerates, the path forward is no longer purely a matter of engineering and financing. Community resistance, regulatory hurdles, and political uncertainty are now central variables for companies considering where to place new facilities — and for investors trying to gauge the durability of the data center boom.
Source: www.cnbc.com — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/02/there-is-a-lot-more-pushback-on-data-center-construction-berkshire-ceo-greg-abel-tells-cnbc.html
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