More than 300 local data center moratoriums have not meaningfully slowed the US buildout, according to a SemiAnalysis report cited by Tom's Hardware. Of roughly 21 GW of capacity located in areas with active restrictions, only about 2.3 GW is likely to be delayed. The firm's overall forecast has "barely moved over the last 12 months," with 38 GW of IT capacity expected online in 2027 — 22 GW already under vertical construction and 16 GW mostly financed with site work underway.
The report attributes the limited impact to how moratoriums are structured. They do not revoke existing approvals, and short pauses often expire before later projects need permits. A moratorium only shifts a delivery date if it covers the exact parcel, remains in force during the project's timeline, and applies to the use in a way the developer cannot work around. For example, Michigan has 45 enacted moratoriums but effectively zero pipeline exposure, and a Google campus there sits on land already zoned for data processing.
The 2.3 GW figure leaves out the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality pause, which Gov. Greg Abbott ordered and which applies regardless of ERCOT queue status. That pause is expected to last until mid-December, and the firm says such actions could affect buildout forecasts. The report concludes that moratoriums would need to be "materially more widespread and restrictive" to delay the buildout, while noting that the bigger risk may be deterring newer projects rather than stopping those already underway.