Why the data center you dread might never even be built

AI Why the data center you dread might never even be built Theresa Loconsolo Rebecca Bellan Tim De Chant 12:15 PM PST · November 11, 2026 31 min Loading the player… 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. Subscribe to Equity on YouTube , Apple Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads , at @EquityPod. Topics AI , AI data center , data center , Government & Policy Theresa Loconsolo Audio Producer Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University. You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing [email protected] . View Bio Rebecca Bellan Senior Reporter Rebecca Bellan is a senior reporter at TechCrunch where she covers the business, policy, and emerging trends shaping artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and other publications. You can contact or verify outreach from Rebecca by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at rebeccabellan.491 on Signal. View Bio Tim De Chant Senior Reporter, Climate Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, where he was founding editor. De Chant is also a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018, during which time he studied climate technologies and explored new business models for journalism. He received his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College. You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing [email protected] . View Bio 2027 San Francisco Get an Early Peek at the Next TechCrunch Disrupt Disrupt, Startup Battlefield, and more will return next year, and you can be at the front of the line. Sign up for our waitlist Register Now Most Popular Anthropic launches Claude Meetings to turn workplace discussions into plans and tasks Aisha Malik Jensen Huang’s alleged honeypot scandal has inspired some top-notch memes Dominic-Madori Davis Lucas Ropek Waymo robotaxis kept illegally passing school buses after software fix, feds say Kirsten Korosec Musk says Tesla will refund some Cybertruck deposits, defends decision to end production Kirsten Korosec Tesla will stop making the Cybertruck in 2027 Sean O'Kane Claude can now analyze your spending with its new Personal Finance tool Aisha Malik Harbinger raises $240M after expanding into defense Sean O'Kane Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch AI TechCrunch's AI experts cover the latest news in the fast-moving field. TechCrunch Space Every Monday, gets you up to speed on the latest advances in aerospace. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related AI CoreWeave turns to customer prepayments, shorter contracts to fund AI growth Rebecca Bellan 51 minutes ago AI Anthropic sets IPO price range of $70 to $78 per share to reach an implied valuation of $1.404 trillion Rebecca Bellan Ram Iyer 1 day ago AI Cyberattacks threaten to make open source AI a little less open, Hugging Face exec warns Rebecca Bellan 1 day ago