Faculty Associate Lauren Bridges tracks changes in the regulatory landscape for data centers via UVA's DIGS Lab. Bridges notes in Tech Policy Press that "data center governance follows a patchwork approach between local, state and federal policy," roughly adhering to four major trends: moving from incentivizing data center development to restricting it, increasing moratoriums to pause development, using zoning ordinances to restrict data centers, and state-level legislation to override local preferences.