New York bans data center construction for a year, rattling AI industry
New York bans data center construction for a year, rattling AI industry
纽约州暂停数据中心建设一年，引发人工智能行业震动
New York became the first state to pause all construction of massive new data centers after Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul announced a one-year moratorium on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The state-wide ban applies to data centers using 50 megawatts or more, officials told Reuters, and it won’t be lifted until the state figures out what “consistent standards” for responsible data center development in New York should look like. 据路透社报道，在民主党籍州长凯西·霍楚尔（Kathy Hochul）周二宣布实施为期一年的暂停令后，纽约州成为全美首个暂停所有大型新数据中心建设的州。官员向路透社透露，这项全州范围的禁令适用于耗电量在50兆瓦及以上的数据中心。在纽约州明确负责任的数据中心开发应具备何种“统一标准”之前，该禁令将不会解除。
Across the US, calls to halt data center construction have multiplied, as Americans grow increasingly concerned about risks of pollution, rising energy costs, and diminishing water supplies. At the federal level, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have introduced legislation seeking a possible nationwide construction ban. But Republicans are seemingly unlikely to embrace that legislation, given Donald Trump’s claim that such moratoriums would threaten America’s lead in the AI race. However, officials on both sides of the aisle are cautious that their views on data centers could get them voted out. At every level, pressure is increasing on elected officials to consider residents’ fears before signing contracts that fail to consider whether data center construction will benefit the public. 在美国各地，要求停止数据中心建设的呼声日益高涨，因为民众对污染风险、能源成本上升以及水资源短缺的担忧与日俱增。在联邦层面，伯尼·桑德斯（佛蒙特州独立派）和亚历山德里娅·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯（纽约州民主党）已提出立法，寻求在全国范围内实施建设禁令。但考虑到唐纳德·特朗普声称此类禁令会威胁美国在人工智能竞赛中的领先地位，共和党人似乎不太可能支持该法案。尽管如此，两党官员都担心自己在数据中心问题上的立场可能会导致选票流失。各级民选官员正面临越来越大的压力，要求他们在签署那些未考虑公众利益的合同之前，必须先顾及居民的担忧。
New York’s move comes after researchers last month found that more than $130 billion in data center projects have been blocked or delayed by protests so far this year. On Tuesday, Hochul directed “state officials to develop a Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) to ensure that new data centers coming online are being held to ‘consistent standards,’ as well as examine the potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of data centers in the state,” Reuters reported. 纽约州的这一举措出台之际，研究人员上个月发现，今年迄今为止，已有超过1300亿美元的数据中心项目因抗议活动而受阻或延期。据路透社报道，霍楚尔周二指示“州政府官员制定一份通用环境影响声明（GEIS），以确保新上线的数据中心符合‘统一标准’，并审查在州内建设和运营数据中心对环境的潜在影响。”
New York has fewer data centers than hotspot states like Virginia and Texas that have drawn more projects, but it did have a long queue of data centers waiting for approval to connect to the state’s energy grid, Reuters noted. Some projects had sparked backlash, The Washington Post reported, and New York lawmakers had already passed a bill to impose a data center moratorium in response. Hochul has yet to receive the bill for signing, Reuters reported, but her office described the law as “complicated” and said it would take some “time to work through” once it does reach her desk. 路透社指出，与弗吉尼亚州和德克萨斯州等吸引了更多项目的数据中心热点地区相比，纽约州的数据中心数量较少，但该州确实有大量数据中心排队等待接入电网的审批。据《华盛顿邮报》报道，一些项目已经引发了强烈抵制，纽约州议员此前已通过一项法案，旨在对数据中心实施暂停令以作为回应。路透社报道称，霍楚尔尚未收到该法案进行签署，但其办公室称该法律“复杂”，并表示一旦法案送达，需要“时间来处理”。
In the meantime, Hochul said it was her “responsibility to take action and lead,” as “data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers.” “New York will lead the way in creating the strongest standards in the nation for data center development, ensuring that when companies succeed because of New York, New Yorkers succeed too,” Hochul said in a statement. 与此同时，霍楚尔表示，她有“责任采取行动并发挥领导作用”，因为“数据中心的发展可能会推高水电费、消耗我们的自然资源，并给纽约人带来不确定性。”霍楚尔在一份声明中表示：“纽约州将率先制定全美最严格的数据中心开发标准，确保当企业因纽约而成功时，纽约人也能从中受益。”
NY threatens to repeal tax giveaways 纽约州威胁要取消税收优惠
Possibly providing a blueprint for other statewide bans, New York’s bold anti-AI stance was viewed as “a striking setback for artificial intelligence companies that politicians once courted for investment,” the Post reported. It comes after Maine’s governor vetoed a prior statewide effort to temporarily ban construction out of concerns that Maine’s legislation didn’t exempt a favored project already underway. Hochul is clearly taking a firmer stance against massive projects concerning New Yorkers. Although her office insists that she isn’t anti-AI, she believes that she must take steps to ensure responsible growth of the industry in New York, where electricity prices are among the highest in the US. 据《华盛顿邮报》报道，纽约州大胆的“反人工智能”立场可能为其他州的禁令提供了蓝图，被视为“对那些曾被政客们争相招商引资的人工智能公司的一次重大打击”。此前，缅因州州长曾否决了一项旨在暂时禁止建设的州级法案，理由是该法案未能豁免一个已经在建的重点项目。霍楚尔显然对涉及纽约民众利益的大型项目采取了更坚定的立场。尽管其办公室坚称她并非反对人工智能，但她认为必须采取措施，确保该行业在纽约州实现负责任的增长，毕竟纽约州的电价在全美名列前茅。
On Tuesday, Hochul indicated that she also planned to repeal sales tax exemptions for data centers, which could influence other states that, prior to the AI backlash from constituents, leveraged the tax giveaways to lure investments from the AI industry. In New York, Hochul has suggested that old incentives and voluntary commitments that AI firms previously relied on to strike deals with officials were no longer enough. States need more information to assess whether residents will be protected from potentially harmful projects. 周二，霍楚尔表示她还计划取消对数据中心的销售税豁免。此举可能会影响其他州，这些州在遭遇选民对人工智能的抵制之前，曾利用税收优惠来吸引人工智能行业的投资。在纽约州，霍楚尔暗示，人工智能公司此前依赖的旧激励措施和自愿承诺已不足以与官员达成协议。各州需要更多信息来评估居民是否能免受潜在有害项目的影响。
Hochul had already moved to ensure that data centers don’t force residents to pay higher prices as energy demand in the area skyrockets. In February, Hochul announced a plan to ensure data centers pay their “fair share” for energy grid updates, which she said would set a “simple standard” to “ensure everyday New Yorkers do not subsidize this energy-intensive industry.” “These industries must pay more; if they do not, they must supply their own energy,” Hochul’s office said in a press release. The moratorium shows that New York is serious about mulling how to set higher standards for data center construction, but the greatest immediate impact of the moratorium may be the momentum it gives to the anti-AI movement by signaling that stopping all construction in a state is possible. 霍楚尔此前已采取行动，确保在地区能源需求激增的情况下，数据中心不会迫使居民支付更高的费用。今年2月，霍楚尔宣布了一项计划，确保数据中心为电网升级支付其“公平份额”。她表示，这将设定一个“简单的标准”，以“确保普通的纽约人不会补贴这个高能耗行业”。霍楚尔的办公室在新闻稿中称：“这些行业必须支付更多费用；如果做不到，就必须自行提供能源。”此次暂停令表明，纽约州正认真考虑如何为数据中心建设设定更高标准，但该禁令最直接的影响，或许是它向反人工智能运动释放了一个信号：在一个州内全面叫停建设是完全可能的，从而为该运动注入了动力。