The United States faces a critical technological innovation test. Artificial intelligence requires massive amounts of computing power to function. That computing power requires physical infrastructure. America must continue our decadeslong history of building mainframes and data centers to process information in order to maintain our global leadership.
However, a growing political movement is actively trying to stop the construction of this critical infrastructure across the country. Activists and local politicians are creating barriers to stall development. This resistance threatens to stop American innovation right as the technology reaches a critical stage.
Groups have already organized to block $64 million worth of data center projects in their communities. Anti-growth politicians looking for easy headlines are joining them. These complaints ignore the broader reality of how the U.S. has achieved global technological dominance. If the United States does not build this infrastructure, other nations will. Restricting domestic construction does not stop artificial intelligence development globally but shifts the power to foreign adversaries who do not share American values.
Data centers have been around for decades. The first commercial data centers emerged in the 1960s when companies needed centralized locations to house mainframe computers. By the 1990s, the rise of the internet transformed these facilities into critical national infrastructure. Hospitals store American medical records in them. Banks process American transactions in them. The government runs essential services through them. Today, technology has grown more sophisticated and essential to solving the complex healthcare and science challenges of the future. Many of the loudest protesters have lived alongside data centers for years without a single complaint. A sudden outrage over infrastructure that has quietly powered American life for sixty years ignores the facts.
Data centers do not drain local resources and account for small percentages of water consumption in areas with heavy development. In Colorado, the industry consumes just one tenth of one percent of all water. A single almond requires more than a gallon of water to grow, and a standard 18-hole golf course can consume over 100 million gallons of water per year. Nobody is organizing to ban almonds or shut down the local country club. Facilities utilize modern cooling systems to recirculate water repeatedly, and many sites operate entirely on nonpotable water sources.
Technology companies are investing their own capital to build dedicated power plants. From adding new modular nuclear facilities to solar and natural gas capacity, companies are creating energy solutions to run their servers. These private investments add new capacity to the grid and shield consumers from expensive utility bills.
Data centers are creating employment, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across the United States, and revitalizing American towns that embrace development. These are high-paying careers in trades, including electrical work, pipefitting, and concrete pouring. Once constructed, facilities employ network engineers, security personnel, and facility managers. Local governments collect millions of dollars in property taxes from these sites. Towns use this new revenue to fund public schools and emergency services without increasing the tax burden on residents.
A fragmented regulatory environment only protects the largest technology corporations. Restricting data center construction drives up costs and excludes the innovators who need these tools the most. Main street business owners rely on accessible artificial intelligence tools to compete with massive corporations. At my company, Telnyx, we rely on this technology to compete with the biggest players in our industry. We need abundant computing power to keep prices low and access open.
President Donald Trump understands this reality perfectly. He has correctly positioned the U.S. to lead the world in artificial intelligence. The President recently issued an executive order to accelerate the federal permitting of data centers and the energy infrastructure they require. This decisive action eliminates the bureaucratic delays that threaten our technological dominance. It demonstrates that the federal government will support the builders and innovators who are securing our future.
Trump also negotiated a ratepayer-protection pledge to ensure technology companies build their own power plants. This agreement guarantees that new computing demand will not burden everyday consumers with higher electricity bills. This is exactly the type of pragmatic leadership the country needs. The President recognizes that energy production and computing power are the two most important resources for securing our economic future. He is addressing the legitimate concerns of citizens while ensuring development continues rapidly.
Republicans and Democrats across the country need to follow the lead of the president.
AI IS OUT OF DATA. NOW IT’S BURNING BOOKS
The U.S. has always maintained prosperity by building. We built the factories, the power grids, and the internet that secured American prosperity. Now we must build the physical facilities for the artificial intelligence economy.
Every delayed project is a missed opportunity for American workers and American developers. We need a unified national approach that encourages construction and innovation. It is our job to make sure the infrastructure exists to keep American innovation moving forward.
David Casem is the CEO and co-founder of Telnyx.