Trump warns AI data centres could move to China if US blocks them

US President Donald Trump has warned that artificial intelligence data centres could shift to China if the United States restricts their expansion, arguing that the country needs the computing infrastructure to remain ahead of Beijing in the AI race.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday, Trump defended the rapid growth of data centres while backing measures aimed at preventing their huge electricity requirements from increasing household power bills.

“We want them,” Trump said of the data centres. “There’s so much money to be made for Ohio. You can’t just turn them off. They’ll go to China.”

Trump said the US was ahead of China in technology and argued that policies discouraging investment in AI infrastructure could push such projects overseas.

The remarks came amid growing debate in Ohio and other US states over the impact of data centres on electricity demand. Large facilities require substantial amounts of power to train and operate AI systems, potentially necessitating additional generation capacity, transmission infrastructure and substations.

Trump endorsed the Ratepayer Protection Act backed by Republican Senator Jon Husted, saying it would prevent data centres from shifting their electricity costs to other consumers and require the facilities to bear expenses linked to their power needs.

“I will sign this Ratepayer Protection Act into law immediately,” Trump said.

The legislation, however, has not been enacted. An effort to advance it in the US Senate failed this week.

Trump’s comments also linked the data-centre debate to his administration’s broader push to strengthen US leadership in artificial intelligence and what he has increasingly described as “super intelligence”.

The US President was in Ohio to campaign for Husted and Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Husted, who was appointed to the Senate seat vacated after JD Vance became Vice-President, is seeking election to the seat against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.

Ramaswamy, a former biotechnology entrepreneur and son of Indian immigrants who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, is running for Ohio Governor against Democrat Amy Acton, a physician and former Director of the Ohio Department of Health.

The Trump administration’s emphasis on AI infrastructure comes as the US and other countries seek greater access to computing resources and scientific facilities. The White House said on Sunday that the US and 16 other countries had endorsed the Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science at an international science and technology gathering in Japan.

The declaration calls for expanded access to advanced AI tools, scientific data, computing infrastructure and experimental facilities to accelerate research.