Tom Cotton Urges Probe Into Foreign Influence on AI Policy as U.S. Has 4,000 Data Centers
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 19
Tom Cotton Urges Probe Into Foreign Influence on AI Policy as U.S. Has 4,000 Data Centers
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 19
Summary
A letter sent this week by Sen. Tom Cotton to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asked federal investigators to examine whether foreign actors are shaping U.S. opinion and policy against data centers and AI development.
Cotton said Communist China may be trying to "kneecap" U.S. processing power as Washington and Beijing compete in AI, with supporters arguing permitting delays and local opposition are slowing projects that underpin computing capacity.
Kevin O'Leary and other backers said modern data centers use improved cooling and varied power sources, while critics continue to cite water use, electricity costs and environmental damage; Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez proposed a moratorium in March.
The U.S. already has more than 4,000 data centers versus just over 300 in China, according to Statista, but advocates warn China can build new facilities far faster and could close the gap if U.S. development stalls.