# Berkeley Professor Proposes Investor Conditions for Data-Center Funding By Sonny Jang Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/people/55601 Published: 2026-11-12T15:56:49.000Z Updated: 2026-11-12T15:56:49.000Z Section: People > The proposal links funding conditions to community outreach and later company reporting as public views of data centers grow more negative on several measures. Stavros Gadinis, the George R. Johnson Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Business at UC Berkeley, proposed that large investors make community engagement and corporate accountability conditions for data-center funding. Gadinis said outreach should include affected communities, nonprofits and academics. Investors would set funding conditions before committing capital, while companies would later report on their progress and contributions. He did not specify the conditions or name investors or companies that had adopted the approach. Public views of data centers have grown more negative on several measures. In a survey of 10,548 U.S. adults conducted July 20-Aug. 9, 54% viewed data centers as mostly bad for the environment, up from 39% in January. Half viewed them as mostly bad for home energy costs, compared with 38% in January, while 49% viewed them as mostly bad for nearby quality of life, up from 30%. The survey also found that 60% expressed discomfort with a new data center operating in their area. These figures measure respondents’ views, not the facilities’ actual effects on energy bills or the environment. U.S. data-center demand is projected to rise from 25 gigawatts in 2024 to more than 80 gigawatts in 2030. A separate projection estimates data centers will account for 11.7% of U.S. electricity demand in 2030; that calculation excludes cryptocurrency power consumption. The proposal adds an investor-focused response to [local opposition, permitting delays and electricity constraints facing data-center projects](). ## Links in this article - [local opposition, permitting delays and electricity constraints facing data-center projects](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/55142)