New York freezes new data centres for a year, the first US state to pull the brake

New York State has imposed a one-year moratorium on the construction of new large data centers drawing 50 megawatts or more, citing concerns over rising utility bills, water depletion, and local impacts. During this pause, the state will develop environmental standards for data centers, and the governor plans to pursue legislation to remove their sales tax exemptions. This move precedes the signing of a related legislative bill and aims to manage the rapid growth of energy-intensive data centers