New York to impose country's first statewide moratorium on data centers
New York is set to impose the country's first statewide moratorium on new large data centers for up to a year. Governor Kathy Hochul will sign an executive order to establish rules aimed at protecting the environment and the energy grid from these power-intensive facilities, which are crucial for artificial intelligence technology.
Governor Kathy Hochul is scheduled to sign an executive order on Tuesday morning, implementing the nation's first statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers in New York. This ban, set to last for up to a year, aims to provide the state with time to develop new regulations. The primary goal of these regulations is to safeguard New York's environment and energy infrastructure from the substantial demands of these facilities.
Hyperscale data centers, which house thousands of computer servers, require immense amounts of electricity and a continuous supply of water for cooling. The state government's concern stems from the growing energy consumption of these power-hungry facilities, particularly those fueling artificial intelligence technology, and their potential impact on the state's energy grid.