Seattle City Council has unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new large AI data centers, pending Mayor Katie Wilson's approval. The ban targets facilities consuming over 20 megavolt-amperes of power, a threshold designed to curb infrastructure that could strain local resources. The move follows the Seattle Times' report that proposed projects would use a third of the city's electricity, with residents raising alarms about water use and noise pollution.

Tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta have offices in Seattle but don't operate large data centers locally, shifting focus to smaller developers. The moratorium allows six months of extension and pairs with a study examining AI data centers' impacts on utilities, jobs, and public health. An amendment distinguishes "traditional" data centers from AI "hyperscale" facilities, a key detail in tailoring regulations.

The council drew over 50 testimonies, including Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, who pushed for renewable energy mandates and labor safeguards. Critics argue tech firms are racing to build compute capacity faster than regulations can address environmental risks. Seattle joins Denver, New Orleans, and Minneapolis in imposing data center restrictions, signaling growing municipal pushback against industry expansion.