Joe Dominguez said at Semafor World Economy that “NIMBYism” over AI data centers could threaten national security.
www.semafor.com
Constellation CEO says US not ‘going to win’ race with China on building out energy for AI
Apr 14, 2026, 10:49pm GMT+8
Annabelle Gordon/Semafor
Constellation Energy Group CEO Joseph Dominguez said Tuesday the US is “very behind” China in the race to build up energy to feed AI data centers.
If building more power plants as quickly as China is the strategy to keep pace with the AI infrastructure expansion, “we’re in some trouble,” Dominguez said at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC on Tuesday.
“If this is going to be a race between China and the US to build energy, might as well call it a day,” he said, noting that since 2010, China has built the entirety of the US electric system plus 50% more in terms of capacity.
But the US can catch up if it uses its grid more efficiently, Dominguez said. The US is now less industrialized, which means power demand is no longer around the clock, compared to China, he noted.
“Their system is running pretty much 24/7 at high capacity,” Dominguez said. “Most of the time in the country, most of the power plants, most of the lines, most of the substations aren’t being used … So if we could manage the peak energy demands, we [would] have a lot of slack in the system we could take advantage of.”
It’s possible that American consumers could end up with lower energy prices if this strategy is successful, he said.
Asked about local opposition to data center construction, Dominguez said the US will lose the AI race and risk national security if it doesn’t successfully compete with China.
“It’s imperative that we win this … for the defense of the nation and our way of life,” he said.
The US needs a national policy in place instead of state-by-state approvals for power projects, he said.
“If NIMBYism becomes the reason we lose the AI race, for whatever reason, we’re in a whole lot of trouble in this country,” he said.
Nuclear power has been growing more popular with Americans as an option for power buildup, Dominguez said. About 65% of Americans approve of nuclear power — the highest it’s been in 30 years, he said. That’s higher than offshore wind, while only 20% to 25% support data centers.
U.S. still depends on China, despite years of onshoring efforts.
www.tomshardware.com
Half of planned US data center builds have been delayed or canceled, growth limited by shortages of power infrastructure and parts from China — the AI build-out flips the breakers
By
Anton Shilov published April 3, 2026
U.S. still depends on China, despite years of onshoring efforts.
The trade-war between the U.S. and China has forced server makers out of the People's Republic, greatly reducing reliance of American companies on producers from Tianxia. However, China remains the world's largest producer of electrical equipment that is required to build power infrastructure inside and outside of AI data centers. To that end, shortages of power delivery equipment, including devices from China and other countries, are slowing project timelines,
Bloomberg reports.
Despite the unprecedented level of investment in AI infrastructure — Alphabet,
Amazon, Meta, and
Microsoft are expected to spend more than $650 billion in 2026 to expand AI capacity — close to half of the planned U.S. data center builds this year are projected to be delayed or canceled, according to
Bloomberg. One major reason behind these setbacks is the availability of key electrical components — such as transformers, switchgear, and batteries — that are used both at data center sites and outside of them, as AI companies must expand grid infrastructure to supply enough power to their data centers. Meanwhile, grid infrastructure is also stressed by electric vehicles and electrified heating systems.
Approximately 12 gigawatts (12 GW) of data center capacity is expected to come online in the U.S. in 2026, according to data by market intelligence firm Sightline Climate cited by
Bloomberg. Yet only about one-third of that capacity is currently under active construction because of various constraints.
Electrical infrastructure represents less than 10% of total data center cost, but it is as vital as compute hardware. A delay in any single element of the power chain can halt the entire project, which makes transformers, switchgear, and similar devices critical items despite their relatively small share of CapEx.
Due to high demand, lead times for high-power transformers have expanded dramatically in the U.S.: delivery typically took 24 to 30 months before 2020, but waiting periods can stretch to as long as five years today, according to Sightline Climate cited by
Bloomberg. For AI data centers, this is a catastrophe as their deployment cycles are under 18 months.
To address shortages, companies are turning to global markets. As a result, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea became the biggest suppliers of high-power transformers for AI data centers to AI data centers. At the same time, imports of high-power transformers from China surged from fewer than 1,500 units in 2022 to more than 8,000 units in 2025 through October, according to Wood Mackenzie data cited by
Bloomberg.
The volatility of exports from China does not end with transformers, as the PRC accounts for over 40% of U.S. battery imports, while its share in certain transformer and switchgear categories remains near 30%, according to
Bloomberg.
Without resolving constraints in transformers, switchgear, and batteries, even trillions of dollars in AI investment may not translate into actual AI capacity, as deployments will depend on power infrastructure availability, not capital or compute hardware constraints.
Despite a decade of reshoring initiatives, U.S. manufacturing capacity for electrical equipment remains insufficient, which means that AI companies continue to rely on imports even amid tariffs and national
security concerns. Meanwhile, tensions between China and the U.S. threaten to further disrupt supply chains, which will raise costs and could delay deployments of advanced AI data centers.
Maine legislature approves first US moratorium on big data centers
By Reuters
April 15, 20266:56 AM GMT+8Updated 3 hours ago
WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - Maine lawmakers have passed a bill that could make it the first U.S. state to put a moratorium on new data centers as opposition to the electricity-hungry facilities grows across the country over their impact on household energy bills and the environment.
The bill, which still needs final approval from Democratic Governor Janet Mills, would freeze approvals for data centers requiring more than 20 megawatts of power until October 2027, while a state-appointed council analyzes their impact on the local grid, electricity bills, air and water.
Industry leaders analyze the proposed pause on AI data centers and the need to balance growth, sustainability, and community concerns.
www.datacenterknowledge.com
AI Data Center Moratorium: Balancing Energy, Community, and Growth Risks
Industry leaders analyze the proposed pause on AI data centers and the need to balance growth, sustainability, and community concerns.
April 15, 2026
The era of rapid data center expansion is facing new scrutiny, as a growing push to pause new data center development in the US is colliding with surging demand for AI infrastructure, as lawmakers weigh the environmental, economic and societal risks of rapid expansion.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently proposed legislation that would impose a federal moratorium on new AI data centers until national safeguards are established.
The
Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act calls for protections covering environmental impact, energy consumption, labor, and civil liberties before additional capacity is built.
Now, as lawmakers push for safeguards on AI data center development, industry leaders underline the need to balance growth, sustainability, and community impact.
Between May 2024 and June 2025, at least 36 US data center projects were delayed or blocked, disrupting an estimated $162 billion in investment, according to
a report from Data Center Watch.
