Trump pledges fast-track for AI data center power plants

Driving the news: Trump said that many people want to build power plants, which is "going to be a very big thing," and intends to approve them under the emergency declaration "without having to go through years of waiting."

• "We need double the energy we currently have in the United States for AI to really be as big as we want to have it because it'll be very competitive with China," Trump added.

Zoom in: He claimed that it was his idea of "building an electric generating plant right next to an existing plant as a separate building."

• The idea of new plants that would directly fuel data centers, rather than connecting to the wider power grid is one that Chevron and Exxon are already exploring.

Between the lines: Data centers consume as much power as a small city, and as the AI boom and race with China continues, they will require even more resources.

• AI's need for facilities, machines, and power has driven new spending on real estate, building materials, semiconductors and energy — and its continued growth will demand an astounding amount of energy to thrive.

Go deeper: How tech giants could turn AI data centers into power grid allies