Trump ignores biggest reasons his AI data center buildout is failing

Last year’s executive orders made rapid AI data-center construction a top national priority to compete with China.

Tariffs on Chinese imports, aggressively imposed by Trump, are hindering data-center projects; some firms choose to pay tariffs to get goods faster.

Bloomberg reports almost half of US data centers planned for this year are expected to be delayed or canceled.

Lead times for power-infrastructure parts rose from 24–30 months before 2020 to as long as five years now.

China has long supplied transformers, switchgear, and batteries; US manufacturing can’t meet demand, and only one-third of the largest AI data centers planned for 2026 are under construction.