New York's Big Call: Year-Long Pause on New Large Data Centres, First Such US Move

Amid rising AI and cloud demand, debate over data centres' energy use is intensifying. According to reports, New York State has taken a major step.

The decision

• The governor signed an executive order pausing new large data-centre permits for up to a year
• It was described as the country's first statewide moratorium

The move shows governments are growing cautious about the power and resource use of fast-expanding data centres.