Trump blasts New York AI data center ban, says state should change policy 'immediately'
Former President Donald Trump blasted New York Governor Kathy Hochul's executive order, which enacted a one-year moratorium on large-scale data center construction in the state. Trump urged New York to reverse the policy, while Hochul defended it as necessary due to concerns over utility costs and natural resource consumption, particularly for power and water, exacerbated by the AI buildout. The order prohibits the construction of data centers using 50 or more megawatts of power.
Former President Donald Trump publicly criticized New York Governor Kathy Hochul's recent executive order, which establishes a one-year moratorium on the construction of large-scale data centers consuming 50 or more megawatts of power within New York State. In a Truth Social post, Trump urged an immediate reversal of the policy, arguing that data centers are crucial job creators and "Money Machines" for states. He accused Governor Hochul of terminating data center projects for "political reasons."
Governor Hochul, however, defended the executive order, stating on X that the pause was enacted because data center development threatens to increase utility bills, deplete natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers. She emphasized that communities powering artificial intelligence should share in its success. The statewide ban, signed Tuesday, makes New York the first U.S. state to implement such a restriction, driven by growing national concerns over data centers' fresh water and power consumption amidst the booming AI infrastructure buildout and rising utility prices.