There’s scant evidence to support claims by tech billionaires and the Trump administration that local backlash against massive data centers is being orchestrated by China and other foreign nations — and those conspiracy theories have only served to embolden opponents, according to a report.
Kevin O’Leary, the Canadian billionaire and “Shark Tank” personality, has claimed “nefarious” Chinese-linked investors were fueling protests against a proposed 40,000-acre data center he wants to build in northwestern Utah, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum amplified those claims about “foreign-directed propaganda” on Fox Business.
But neither provided conclusive evidence to support the allegations, reported the Washington Post.
“This is like gaslighting 101,” said Kyle Schmidt, a three-time Donald Trump voter who galvanized neighbors against a data center outside Tulsa. “They are saying, ‘Trust me. It is not what you think. It is what I am telling you.’”
“I would love to sit down with ‘Mr. Wonderful’ and ask him: Do you want one of these in your backyard?” Schmidt added, using O’Leary’s nickname.
Several think tanks aligned with the tech industry and the Trump administration have issued reports in recent weeks alleging that data center opposition is a coordinated, foreign-funded campaign. But the reports offer little direct evidence, pointing instead to overseas philanthropic grants received by U.S. environmental groups — organizations that typically devote only a small fraction of their resources to data center issues.
A $460,000 donation to Put Utah First PAC in 2022 was not documented as data center-related and instead went to Evan McMullin’s unsuccessful Senate campaign as an independent, and the Wyss Foundation rejected criticism from the Bitcoin Policy Institute, calling the reports “false, misleading and an attempt by big crypto special interests to manipulate the public into accepting data centers.”
Code Pink denounced claims that it serves as a Chinese government mouthpiece due to funding from U.S. expatriate Neville Roy Singham, calling the allegations “false and defamatory,” and Alliance for a Better Utah dismissed accusations of millions in CCP funding as “laughable.”
Bitcoin Policy Institute report author Sam Lyman maintained the reports revealed “a clear demonstrated foreign influence campaign against American AI” and called for an investigation into nonprofit coordination, but he acknowledged foreign propaganda represents only one factor in data center opposition, adding that “Americans do have serious concerns that need to be heard.”
Lyman noted that foreign resources are primarily directed toward social media campaigns on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Even some voices sympathetic to the AI industry warned the foreign-influence argument could backfire. Ryan Fedasiuk of the American Enterprise Institute wrote that telling skeptical Americans their views were “paid for by the CCP is not a winning political message.”
A Gallup survey conducted earlier this year found that overwhelming majorities of Americans oppose data center construction in their communities, suggesting the industry faces a far broader credibility problem than foreign interference could explain.
“The real story here is that public engagement is an area Big Tech is not really good at,” said Daniel Golding, a former Google infrastructure executive.
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