Report: Chinese propaganda, Singham network, foreign dark money linked to campaigns against data centers
A new report alleges that foreign influence, including Chinese propaganda and networks funded by tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, are driving campaigns against U.S. AI data center projects. These efforts target specific data centers in states like Utah, Louisiana, and Wyoming, and align with a proposed "AI Data Center Moratorium Act" introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. House committees are investigating potential FARA violations by some involved nonprofits.
A report by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, titled "Foreign Influence in the Campaign against American AI," alleges a systematic effort driven by foreign influence to impede the construction of U.S. AI data centers. The report, obtained by Fox News Digital, identifies three main sources of this influence: a nonprofit network financed by U.S. expatriate Neville Roy Singham, who resides in Shanghai and promotes Chinese propaganda; official Chinese Communist Party state media outlets; and undisclosed funding from foreign billionaires such as Swiss investor Hansjörg Wyss and British magnate Alan Parker.
The report claims that Singham's funded nonprofits, including CodePink, have actively fueled opposition to U.S. AI infrastructure. This includes a recent Instagram video by CodePink criticizing a proposed data center in Utah backed by investor Kevin O’Leary, as well as past articles targeting Meta’s Hyperion project in Louisiana and Meta Cheyenne in Wyoming. The report also highlights the introduction of the "AI Data Center Moratorium Act" by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, noting the controversial participation of Chinese government-affiliated experts, Zeng Yi and Xue Lan, at a Capitol Hill event on AI safety organized by Sanders.
Furthermore, the Bitcoin Policy Institute's report accuses Beijing's state-run media, including CGTN and China Daily, of disseminating anti-data center narratives within the U.S., while China concurrently provides subsidies for its own domestic AI infrastructure development. It also links charitable organizations associated with Wyss and Parker to the routing of significant funds into U.S.-based advocacy groups that oppose AI infrastructure projects. As an example, a December 2025 letter advocating for a national moratorium on new AI data centers garnered signatures from approximately 230 organizations, many of which receive funding from networks connected to Wyss and Parker. In response to these allegations, the House Ways and Means Committee, House Oversight Committee, and the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party are currently investigating whether some Singham-funded nonprofits are required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).