The decision by New York State in the United States to suspend the construction of large AI data centers is causing controversy within American politics and the energy industry. Some opponents warn that this move could lead not only to a loss of investment and employment, but also weaken the United States' ability to compete with China in the field of AI. US Democratic Senator John Fetterman even said on social platform X: "China won."
According to a report by Fox Business Channel on the 15th, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed an executive order, making it the first state in the United States to temporarily suspend the construction of new large AI data centers. The ban is valid for up to one year, during which time the state government will assess the impact that large data centers have on the electric grid and energy supply.
Ho Choer argued in defense of this decision, claiming that New York's electrical grid is currently nearing its capacity limit and cannot handle the increased electricity demand from more large data centers. She provided an example: a 50 megawatt data center consumes power equivalent to about 50,000 households.
However, this reason has received considerable criticism. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Rieber said that Hocheir’s approach was completely wrong. Large data centers not only do not increase electricity prices; they actually help drive investment in energy infrastructure, ultimately reducing electricity costs. He also attributed the rise in electricity prices in New York to the Democrats’ green energy policies.
Opponents believe that the impact of restricting AI infrastructure construction will not be limited to New York, but could weaken the overall competitiveness of the United States and lead to investments flowing elsewhere, or even overseas. Fettman expressed concerns about this policy on social media platforms—“China won”.
Reports indicate that with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the demand for computing power is continuously rising. States are competing to attract tech companies to build data centers. The United States has consistently elevated the competition in artificial intelligence to a national strategic level and has frequently regarded China as a major competitor. Within the United States, discussions about how to balance AI development, energy supply, and industrial policies are becoming increasingly intense due to the rapidly growing demand for computing power.
