New York State has become the first in the nation to impose a moratorium on the construction of new hyperscale data centers. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul announced a suspension on issuing environmental permits for large data centers with a power consumption of 50 megawatts or more, for up to one year. This move aims to address concerns over the environmental impact of data centers and their role in driving up utility costs. Currently, state and federal governments are striving to balance competitiveness in artificial intelligence with environmental and cost considerations.
