{"id":2670585,"date":"2026-09-26T08:56:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T12:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-simple-china-eats-our-lunch-unless-america-builds-data-centers-and-the-power-to-run-them\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T08:57:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T12:57:04","slug":"its-simple-china-eats-our-lunch-unless-america-builds-data-centers-and-the-power-to-run-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-simple-china-eats-our-lunch-unless-america-builds-data-centers-and-the-power-to-run-them\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s Simple: China Eats Our Lunch Unless America Builds Data Centers and the Power to Run Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fits-simple-china-eats-our-lunch-unless-america-builds-data-centers-and-the-power-to-run-them%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2670585&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article highlights concerns about the global race in artificial intelligence (AI) development, emphasizing that powering AI infrastructure is a critical challenge. Experts warn that the United States risks falling behind if it does not significantly expand its energy production capacity. They point out that China is <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >rapidly increasing coal-fired power plants<\/a>,making it the world&#8217;s largest polluter,whereas the U.S. has cleaner energy standards adn a obligation to build and power its own data centers and manufacturing facilities.Leaders argue that establishing domestic energy and manufacturing capabilities is essential not only for maintaining technological leadership but also for environmental reasons. The discussion underscores the importance of proactive collaboration between companies and governments to strengthen supply chains, create jobs, and ensure the U.S.remains competitive in the evolving AI landscape.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON \u2014 The contest to win the artificial intelligence race may come down to which country can keep the lights on, experts warn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Energy and industry leaders made the case that American AI ambitions will outpace the nation\u2019s ability to power them without a major buildout at Thursday\u2019s Daily Caller Live <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/Xh-09NCTEYo?si=NQ87lytFmz5dXpQc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">event<\/a> co-hosted by the Caller and the Daily Caller News Foundation and presented by ClearPath.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Cristopher Johnson, president of the American Energy Leadership Institute (AELI), and Mark Bednar, a principal at Monument Advocacy and former vice president of communications at the American Exploration &#038; Production Council, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/v7fmh7w-energy-experts-say-america-must-ramp-up-power-to-win-the-global-ai-race.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">emphasized<\/a> that the United States must add reliable power and build the plants and data centers here, or else AI infrastructure moves to China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201c[I]f we\u2019re not building data centers here and powering them here, where it\u2019s tons cleaner [and where] we\u2019re doing solar and storage and nuclear, \u2026 all those data centers, all that compute, is gonna go to China, where they are building coal plants every week,\u201d Johnson said during a panel discussion moderated by DCNF investigative reporter Sean Moran. \u201cThis is totally backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">China began construction on 94.5 gigawatts of new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/daniel-horowitz-war-on-energy-is-the-new-covid-fascism\/\" title=\"Daniel Horowitz: War on ... Is the New COVID Fascism\">coal-fired power capacity<\/a> in 2024, the most since 2015 and 93 percent of global coal construction starts, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carbonbrief.org\/chinas-construction-of-new-coal-power-plants-reached-10-year-high-in-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to a Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Global Energy Monitor report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cChina is the biggest polluter on Earth. They are four times dirtier in their economy than we are,\u201d The alternative, Johnson argued, is to build and power those facilities in the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cIf you care about climate change, if you care about the environment, you should want to build as much energy and manufacturing here in the United States, where we have the best standards in the world and some of the cleanest economies on earth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Johnson said the country does not have the power to match what it wants to build.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201c[A] lot of the stuff [manufacturers] want to build is basically functionally illegal, or we can\u2019t build the power necessary to actually re-industrialize,\u201d Johnson said during the panel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201c[I]f we can\u2019t build a data center with those limited trade-offs, limited environmental impact, we are never going to be able to build steel plants back in America, which are far more energy- and water-intensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re never going to build aluminum plants. We\u2019re not going to bring the semiconductor industry here to the United States. All of those things will be much much harder,\u201d the AELI president added. \u201cThis is the test.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">U.S. data centers consumed about 4.4 percent of the nation\u2019s electricity in 2023 and could use as much as 12 percent by 2028, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/articles\/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to a December 2024 Department of Energy report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Bednar said the fight is larger than any one facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201c[F]rom critical minerals to energy to the end product for whatever an AI device or item is \u2026 the supply chain is such a big part of the story and their voice isn\u2019t big enough \u2026 The need to unilaterally step up more\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not about a data center per se. It\u2019s about the jobs that are around it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">He said small-town officials can see the tax base, but only if companies show up before the opposition does.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cIf you\u2019re a small-town mayor, there\u2019s a group of you that can directly benefit from the new revenue that comes in through your town through this industry,\u201d Bednar said on the panel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cCompanies and lawmakers need to sit down and proactively discuss this together because otherwise the nay-saying Left is just going to continue to pummel away, pummel away, pummel away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The AI opening is still America\u2019s to lose, according to Bednar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cThe AI opportunities that the United States of America has is such an incredible blessing,\u201d he added. \u201cIf we cultivate it right \u2026 and people who have skepticism and people who have concerns are at the table, \u2026. this is going to be an ongoing conversation. It\u2019s going to take both parties.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. 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