Some communities are exercising caution in allowing development of data centers. Others have welcomed them.A data center under construction in Vernon, Calif., on July 8.Mario Tama / Getty ImagesJuly 23, 2026, 6:00 PM EDTBy Yasmin Vossoughian and Emily NgoWelcome to the daily Inside Scoop newsletter. New York state set a one-year pause on building AI data centers to establish some ground rules. Loudoun County, Virginia, already has tons of windowless buildings that churn the data needed to meet our many tech needs. We look at both community approaches below. Let’s get into it.The breakneck growth of the AI industry has meant skyrocketing demand for data centers.Just a moment.We are getting your experience ready.
Beyond the noise in the data center debate
Some communities are exercising caution in allowing development of data centers. Others have welcomed them.
TL;DRAI
New York paused AI data center builds for one year; Loudoun County, Virginia hosts dozens of operational facilities. The split signals a key choice: immediate compute access versus compliance certainty and energy governance in regional infrastructure.
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