Point & counterpoint: A data center moratorium would be a gift to China — Donald Kimball

Several U.S. state legislatures and Senator Bernie Sanders are advocating for a moratorium on all AI data center development in the United States. Proponents of the pause cite concerns such as potential job losses, the rise of super-intelligence, and risks to the workforce. However, Donald Kimball, communications manager and Tech Exchange editor for the Washington Policy Center, argues against such a moratorium. He contends that while the concerns raised are not entirely unfounded, a data center moratorium is not a viable solution. Kimball believes that halting data center growth would not stop the global or domestic build-out of AI, but would instead make U.S. development slower and more expensive, thereby putting the nation at a disadvantage in the competitive global AI race against China. He emphasizes that winning the AI race requires accessible and widespread development ecosystems, and ceding data center growth would undermine the U.S.'s ability to expand into new AI deployment pathways, such as integrating AI into broadband and cellular towers.