William Blair revised its data center and power index down to 75 in May 2026 from 78, citing growing obstacles associated with local opposition to data center projects and mounting constraints on power supply.
The firm raised its estimate for the U.S. data center power supply and demand deficit in 2030 to 28 gigawatts, up from its prior forecast of 21 gigawatts. William Blair also reported that the total U.S. power supply and demand deficit is 127 gigawatts.
Within the firm's scoring framework, the data center demand score declined to 83 from 91. At the same time, total active data center capacity in the United States increased to 46 gigawatts from 45 gigawatts, and planned capacity moved higher to 205 gigawatts from 198 gigawatts.
Focusing on artificial intelligence workloads, William Blair said active AI data center capacity in the U.S. rose to 4.48 gigawatts from 4.46 gigawatts. Planned AI data center capacity expanded to 109 gigawatts from 104 gigawatts.
The power supply score in the firm's index remained unchanged at 89. William Blair flagged significant activity in turbine orders: global turbine orders in 2025 totaled 136 gigawatts, an 87% increase from 73 gigawatts in 2024. U.S. turbine orders were reported at 55 gigawatts in 2025, a rise of 198% from 19 gigawatts in 2024.
Sentiment in the firm's data center and power outlook eased, with the sentiment score falling to 48.9 from 51. A survey accompanying the analysis showed stronger support for nuclear fleet expansion, while also identifying several operational and siting challenges: difficulties with local opposition to data center locations, delays in power availability, limits on grid connections, and lengthy lead times for power generation equipment.
Contextual note: The firm’s revisions reflect both rising planned capacity for data centers and persistent questions about the pace and availability of power at the locations where that capacity is being developed.