Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The proliferation of data centers in the United States continued to accelerate in 2025 but experts, developers and utility companies are challenged with projecting the energy needs of the future.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is calling for a moratorium on all data center construction for artificial intelligence, saying lawmakers and the public need a chance to "catch up."
"There is a whole lot about AI and robotics that needs to be discussed," Sanders. "This process is moving very, very quickly and we need to slow it down. We need all of our people involved in determining the future of AI and not just a handful of multibillionaires."
The United States has more data centers than any other country in the world, amassing more than 5,000, with a strong uptick in new centers since 2021. Whether growth will continue at a high rate and how energy infrastructure can support that growth are the questions that stakeholders are trying to answer.
Uptime Institute told UPI it is difficult to answer just how many data centers there are or how many are coming but it projects the total planned power increased by 177% in over 2024.
