Trump says companies should pay 'dividend' to communities to make data centres popular

Highlights data centres that were once highly unpopular became extremely popular after a ​financial deal was reached

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that companies ​building data centres should pay a "dividend" to the communities ‌where they are sited if they want to make the developments popular.

"I have watched the process closely, and data centres that were highly unpopular in ​a certain area have become extremely popular when a ​financial deal is struck," Trump said in a Truth Social ⁠post.

Data centres fueling the rise of AI have become a ​political flashpoint in communities across the country given the high quantities of ​water and power they require, with opposition uniting voters across ideological lines.

The Trump administration, which has prioritised rapid AI development to compete with China, has ​also noted the shifting voter sentiment.

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"New and large, in some cases ​gigantic, Data (centers) are mandated by me to make their own electricity, and give ‌or ⁠sell any excess back to the local community, or grid," Trump said in his post.

Trump said in February that major technology companies must build their own power plants for their data centres in ​order to protect ​consumers from rising ⁠bills.

AI giant Anthropic and Elon Musk have laid out blueprints in recent days for sharing some of ​the spoils of the AI boom.

The creator of Claude ​models ⁠said over the weekend it is committing 5% of its shares to a new fund for the "public good", while Musk pledged on Monday ⁠to ​give one SpaceX share to "every kid in ​America", arguing for such direct distributions as the burgeoning sector faces public scrutiny.