The rapid buildout of these large facilities, which house the servers that power AI and online services, along with the construction and costs that come with them, has prompted local opposition in communities nationwide.
The issue now features in many congressional and gubernatorial races, and candidates from a range of backgrounds appear to be distancing themselves from unchecked development in voters' backyards.
Leading the Future, a super PAC backed by venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, has spent $45 million in a year.
Public First Action, a group backed by Anthropic that says it supports AI safeguards, says it has raised $80 million.
Both have funded Democratic- and Republican-aligned groups.
Other super PACs see an opening to push for tougher AI rules.
One of them, Tomorrow Together, recently launched $4 million in ads in battleground House races, with messages about data center development and AI safety.
How far candidates will go differs. Many Democrats seem more likely to support a pause on development, though not all do. Some Republicans have leaned on party messaging that favors local control over a ban, while others say a pause is exactly what the moment calls for. Support for an outright moratorium on new data centers is therefore one of the clearest points of difference in these races.