Traders on prediction platform Kalshi believe there is a 75% probability that the number of AI data centers in planning or already operational will exceed 5,100 before 2027, up from just 60% two weeks ago.

Despite growing community concerns over rising energy costs and increased water consumption, as well as mounting public opposition to data center construction projects, the market expects the scale of data center construction to continue expanding.

Public opposition to data center construction continues to grow, yet Kalshi traders judge that the likelihood of planned and operational data centers breaking past 5,000 before the new year has risen further.

According to data from prediction trading platform Kalshi, the probability that the number of proposed and operational data centers will exceed 5,100 before 2027 stands at 75%. In just two weeks, that expected probability climbed from 60% to 75%.

The final outcome of this trading contract will be verified by data center database platform Data Center Map, which tracks and labels all planned and operational data centers on its website.

According to Data Center Map statistics, the United States currently has more than 4,700 data centers in operational and planning stages. Among the states, Virginia ranks first with more than 670 planned and online data centers, followed by Texas with 537 and California with more than 200.

Technology companies are aggressively expanding data centers in Texas, New Mexico, Phoenix, Arizona, and other locations. But such construction projects are also encountering resistance from communities and activists, who argue the projects will drive up residents' utility bills and consume enormous amounts of water.

Bloomberg reported last month, citing people familiar with the matter, that Oracle sent a force majeure notice to a project partner developer related to a New Mexico data center project. Oracle hopes to avoid additional costs arising from the project if it cannot begin operations as expected in 2028.

This summer, Oracle's proposed data center project also ran into obstacles, as New Mexico regulators rejected an application for a permit to build a natural gas pipeline to supply the project.