Microsoft CEO: We 'have to earn that permission' to build data centers from communities

The AI data center build-out has turned Nvidia (NVDA) into a $5 trillion company, is helping to power Intel's (INTC) turnaround efforts, and made memory chip makers some of the hottest companies on Earth. But a growing number of Americans see the boom as a burden being forced upon them that is gobbling up land, power, and water. Coupled with non-disclosure agreements that some companies require towns to sign, the situation has become volatile. An increasing number of states have introduced legislation halting or banning the construction of data centers, with New York issuing a state-wide, one-year moratorium.