New York Governor Kathy Hochul and US President Donald Trump.
David Dee Delgado | Reuters | Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump slammed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, saying in a Truth Social post that the state should change its new data center moratorium “IMMEDIATELY” after becoming the first in the U.S. to impose a ban of its kind.
“One of the biggest Driving Forces in the Future for Jobs, are Data Centers,” he wrote. “They are big, strong, bold, and Money Machines for the State in which they are built. Governor Kathy Hochul, for political reasons, has terminated all Data Centers being built, or to be built, in New York State.”
The new state executive order, signed by the governor on Tuesday, bars the construction of large-scale data centers that use 50 or more megawatts of power for up to a year.
“New York State has made a terrible decision,” Trump wrote Wednesday.
A national backlash has grown around data center fresh water and power consumption, as utility prices continue rising while artificial intelligence demand booms, fueling a breakneck infrastructure buildout.
“As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it’s my responsibility to take action and lead,” Hochul said in a press release announcing the moratorium.
Concerns over how data centers could shoulder their own power costs have been making the rounds ahead of the midterm elections, as Democrats take aim at affordability issues and residents’ anger lingers against the new builds.
Trump’s post also urged that data centers “must pay” for their own water and power, with any leftover going back to state and local communities.
CNBC has reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.
