Blackstone, OpenAI, QTS and SoftBank launch alliance with US unions on data center rules

Four of the biggest players in American AI infrastructure and several major labor unions have joined forces in a new coalition that will push for common standards for data centers. The group, called the American Infrastructure Alliance, is backed by Blackstone, OpenAI, QTS and SoftBank Group, along with unions led by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

What the alliance wants

The coalition plans to work with state and local officials to create standards and guardrails for data center construction, rather than fight them. In return, it hopes to head off moratoriums on new development. Axios reported the group is multimillion-dollar and will run its first campaigns in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana and South Carolina.

QTS co-CEO Tag Greason said responsible growth requires clear expectations for everyone involved. IBEW international president Kenneth Cooper said blanket bans on necessary infrastructure projects would set back the economy and threaten middle-class jobs.

Unions at the center of the campaign

Labor groups are heavily represented. Besides the IBEW, the alliance includes SMART, the HFIAW insulators, the International Association of Iron Workers and the UA. The goal is to mobilize members to convince state and local officials that data centers can be built responsibly. SMART general president Michael Coleman said workers and communities should have a seat at the table as the infrastructure is built.

Political backdrop

Data centers have become a defining issue in the 2026 midterm elections, with Democrats attacking Republicans in key states over their support for the buildout. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have introduced legislation to pause all new data center construction nationwide until AI safeguards are in place. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott halted approvals for new data centers in early August and later said the companies had dug their own grave. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order tightening data center rules last month.

An alliance ad in Texas appeals directly to Abbott, with a narrator saying the state should not have to choose between protecting what matters and building what comes next. Axios noted the alliance is an initial investment in a longer fight that will carry into the 2027 legislative sessions and the 2028 campaign.

Polling

The group's own polling found data centers are deeply unpopular in Ohio, where 67% of those surveyed held an unfavorable opinion against 18% favorable. Those numbers flip when projects pledge to keep electricity costs low, create jobs and generate tax revenue.