Trump Advocates for Coal to Power the Future of AI
On the eve of significant tech leaders addressing Congress about the urgent need for more energy to support the burgeoning American AI industry, President Donald Trump signed an executive order proposing a controversial solution: boosting coal production.
This is part of a broader initiative introduced on Tuesday to accelerate the growth of the coal sector. The executive orders aim to open federal lands for mining, classify coal as a critical mineral, and leverage emergency powers to ease environmental restrictions on coal. One of these orders, specifically targets the provision of energy to AI data centers by utilizing America’s “beautiful clean coal resources,” as Trump described them. The order mandates the Commerce, Energy, and Interior Departments to assess the availability and suitability of coal-powered infrastructure for AI data centers and evaluate its economic viability.
“We need to embrace AI and the wave of new technologies that are emerging,” Trump stated during the signing ceremony for the executive orders. “To achieve this, we must significantly increase our energy and electricity capacity, more than double what we currently have.”
Read the full story at The Verge.
(Source: The Verge)
