Chris Wright Makes Case For AI Data Centers In America

Energy Secretary Chris Wright explained to the Daily Caller why the Trump administration is in favor of building data centers in the United States, as concerns grow about their presence in the country.

Americans seem conflicted about the growing presence of AI and data centers across the country, though in some areas of the country the issue is proving to cause a stir. Wright told the Caller that the administration prefers data centers be built in America over other competitive countries like China.

“The stance is: AI’s coming. It is a disruptive technology. I think there’ll be way more positives than negatives. But any new powerful tool is going to have downsides too,” Wright told the Caller.

“I get the concerns about it, and believe me, we talk about those all the time, but [data center’s] are going to be built. Do we want them built in China? Do we want them built in the Middle East? Do we want them to build overseas? And we want them built in America?”

Wright went onto add that the administration believes America can drive the “pace of scientific discovery” if they continue to harness technology. (RELATED: California Data Centers Lie Dormant As American Power Supply Shot To Hell)

“There are so many cancers that are death sentences today. In five or 10 years, they’ll just be manageable conditions,” Wright told the Caller.

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“I am very excited about the scientific progress from AI, but President Trump’s been also very clear-eyed with all the data center developers that [he wants] to build those data centers here in the U.S. [He wants] those jobs and that tax money here, but [developers] can’t raise electricity prices for the neighbors and the communities where they’re developed,” Wright told the Caller.

Wright discussed more energy projects, how the administration is focusing on affordability and more.

Data centers expand the tax base, allowing for tax reductions. While they are one factor in rising electricity bills, they also result in lower property-tax bills. The savings in lower property taxes more than offsets rising electric bills for most residents of areas with large numbers of data centers.