Opposition to AI data centers is spreading beyond the United States as residents in Australia, South Korea, Japan and Malaysia challenge projects near their homes. Goodman, Australia’s largest property company, withdrew Project Mars in Sydney’s Lane Cove suburb after strong local opposition; the facility would have stood about 20 meters from homes. Victoria has introduced planning rules requiring new data centers to provide their own renewable energy, avoid drinking water for cooling and remain at least 150 meters from homes. South Korean residents in Seoul’s Geumcheon district have protested for months and are seeking revocation of a data center’s building permit. In Japan, Inzai residents sued the company that certified a planned facility, citing noise, hot air and lost sunlight, while more than 50 people held Malaysia’s first data center protest in Johor in February. More than 70 European projects were rejected or restricted in early 2026, and US opposition blocked or delayed about 120 projects worth nearly $200 billion during the first half of 2026. New York and Texas have paused permits for large projects. A Quinnipiac University poll on September 30 found that 72% of US adults opposed a local AI data center, up from 65% in March. Amazon has pledged $1 billion to communities where it builds and operates data centers, while AWS CEO Matt Garman warned that local resistance threatens the United States’ lead in AI.