Bernie Sanders’ Data Center Ban Would Cripple America and Empower China

America has positioned itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). As the Federal Reserve noted in October, private AI investment in America thus far is at nearly $500 billion, more than the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and even China combined. American leadership in AI would simply not be possible without its vast network of more than 4,000 data centers, more than anywhere else in the world. But if some U.S. politicians had their way, the U.S. would stop building data centers and cede leadership to hostile countries like China.

Recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) stated he will push for a moratorium on new data center construction to “give democracy a chance to catch up” amid the allegedly “unregulated sprint” to deploy AI. This far-reaching restriction would cripple the economy and harm consumers while doing nothing to save jobs, help the environment, or lower electricity prices. Policymakers need to double down, not surrender, on growth and innovation.

Unfortunately, Sen. Sanders is not the only politician determined to put data centers out of business. Anti-tech politicians have seized on data centers’ supposed heavy use of resources and pressure on power prices to push for laws to halt or penalize development. For example, Arizona, Illinois, and Arkansas passed laws that either suspended data center development or restricted where they can be built. In 2024, Prince William County in Virginia passed a tax hike of

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