AI on the rise, but no one wants a data center in their backyard One day after the state of New York announced the suspension of the approval of new large data centers, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, harshly criticized the measure and defended this Wednesday (15) that these ventures are essential for the creation of jobs, revenue and technological leadership in the country — which could lose its position to China. In a post on the social network Truth Social this Wednesday (15), Trump stated that data centers will be one of the biggest driving forces for jobs in the future and described them as money-making machines for the states where they are installed. "Data centers are one of the main engines of job creation for the future. They are big, robust, bold and true revenue generating machines," wrote the American president. The Republican attributed the decision to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, saying she halted, "for political reasons," the construction of all new data centers in the state. "New York made a terrible decision. All of this revenue and other benefits will go to Republican states - and some Democratic ones - where data centers are seen as valuable sources of resources, offering lower taxes and generating a record number of jobs," he repudiated. On Tuesday (14), New York announced a one-year moratorium on the approval of new environmental licenses for large facilities, while it carries out a study on the impacts of these projects on energy consumption, water use and local communities. According to Trump, the measure will cause investments to migrate to states such as Alabama, Florida, Texas and Arizona, which, according to him, seek to attract this type of infrastructure. “Taxes and jobs are pure gold,” he wrote. China's victory The president also argued that data centers themselves should bear their water and energy costs and that any excess benefits return to state governments and local communities. In his assessment, these projects represent "huge victories" for the states that manage to receive them. When asking New York to reverse the decision "immediately", Trump also stated that the policy adopted by the state could cause the United States to lose investments in data centers, artificial intelligence and new technologies to countries like China. "The radical left cannot be allowed to make us lose data centers, AI and all this incredible new technology to China and other countries," he wrote. US President Donald Trump points the finger during a bilateral meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on July 14, 2026 REUTERS/Evan Vucci