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How backlash and red tape continue to slow data centers post-Blue Wave

TechCrunch •
November 11, 2026 • 08:02 PM
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Not every proposed AI data center will get built. On Equity, Ascend Analytics’ Brent Nelson explains how to separate realistic projects from speculative ones, and what it takes to win over lenders, power providers, and neighbors.

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The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity . Before those challenges even come into play, though, there’s a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure investment at stake, separating realistic projects from speculative ones is becoming increasingly important.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Rebecca Bellan and Tim De Chant are joined by Brent Nelson , senior managing director of markets and strategy at Ascend Analytics , to separate the data center projects that are likely to get built from the ones that may never get off the ground.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube , Apple Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads , at @EquityPod.

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