Trump urges data center firms to pay communities ‘dividend’
The US president has championed data centre development to bolster American dominance in artificial intelligence, despite local concerns over energy and water use.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump advocated on Wednesday for data center firms to compensate communities with a "dividend" to boost the popularity and approval of such facilities, while emphasizing the need for more construction. Trump's stance aims to bolster the United States' position in artificial intelligence, despite local opposition to data centers due to concerns over energy and water consumption.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump suggested that communities and individuals within them should be rewarded financially if companies seek to make their data centers popular. The former president noted that previous unpopular projects often gained support following a favorable financial agreement. According to Data Center Watch, which monitors resistance to the industry, at least 75 data center projects faced local opposition or were delayed in the first three months of 2026.
Recent polls indicate bipartisan opposition to data centers, with the topic becoming increasingly relevant as the November 3 midterm elections approach.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
