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One of many prime officers in Texas says he’s on board with President Donald Trump’s aggressive plan to broaden the AI and crypto capabilities of the US.
“There’s no daylight between President Trump and I on this challenge,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick advised Fox Information Digital this week. “
“I completely assist the president and his Stargate Plan. We’re utterly aligned in our need to see Texas and America lead in AI, knowledge facilities and crypto. These industries perceive they must provide their very own energy wants and are diligently working towards that objective so prices aren’t disproportionally shifted onto residential and small companies prospects.”
Patrick, lengthy thought of a loyal ally of Trump, raised eyebrows final yr when he warned of the burden that crypto mining and knowledge facilities may placed on the state’s electrical grid. Nonetheless, he repeatedly emphasised that there’s “no daylight” between him and Trump on these points.
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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick advised Fox Information Digital he backs President Donald Trump’s AI infrastructure plan. (Getty)
“We have to take an in depth have a look at these two industries,” Patrick posted on X in June 2024 whereas expressing issues that knowledge facilities and crypto mining enlargement add extra to the grid than they repay in jobs.
“They produce only a few jobs in comparison with the unbelievable calls for they place on our grid. Crypto mining may very well make more cash promoting electrical energy again to the grid than from their crypto mining operations… Texans will in the end pay the value. I’m extra excited by constructing the grid to service prospects of their properties, flats, and regular companies and preserving prices as little as doable for them as a substitute of for very area of interest industries which have huge energy calls for and produce few jobs.”
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Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks at a information convention. (Reuters/Jon Herskovitz)
Crypto mining and knowledge middle enlargement have been dominant themes of the Presidential Transition’s financial messaging, together with earlier this month when Trump introduced a brand new $20 billion international funding for the enlargement of information facilities throughout a number of U.S. states, together with Texas. The announcement drew reward from many conservatives, together with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Trump has additionally garnered important assist from the crypto neighborhood and raised massive chunks of cash from the trade alongside together with his promotion of a message emphasizing power independence, financial progress and framing the enlargement of crypto mining as a vital device towards making certain the U.S. leads the trade.
“The necessity to shortly scale knowledge middle capability to assist the Twenty first-century economic system continues to extend, given the rising demand for AI and different digital companies by people, households, companies, authorities, and organizations of all sizes,” Dan Diorio, senior director of state coverage on the Knowledge Heart Coalition, advised Fox Information Digital.
President Donald Trump and first girl Melania Trump wave as they board Air Drive One, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, for a visit to North Carolina and California. (AP Picture/Mark Schiefelbein)
“The info middle trade appreciates President Trump highlighting the important position of the info middle trade in advancing America’s nationwide safety and international financial competitiveness. We additionally respect his dedication to selling the fast growth of further knowledge middle and power capability to assist the nation’s management in AI,” Diorio continued. “Texas is uniquely poised to profit from this. With continued assist for knowledge facilities, Texas can proceed to drive innovation and funding whereas selling American financial management and nationwide safety right this moment and into the longer term.”
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Final week, Trump introduced Stargate, a three way partnership of OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle that may make investments as much as $500 billion in AI-related infrastructure.
Texas will function floor zero, with 10 knowledge facilities by the enterprise already underneath building within the state, 10 extra on the best way and the primary venture primarily based in Abilene, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison mentioned. Every constructing will occupy half one million sq. ft.
Patrick mentioned in an announcement final week to The Texas Tribune that he believes Texas must be the “world chief in AI, knowledge middle and crypto. The secret is to make sure they’ve the ability they want and not using a main influence to our electrical grid. The industries perceive that and they’re engaged on options.”
Texas’ foremost grid operator predicts energy demand will almost double by 2030, partially attributable to extra requests to plug into the grid from massive customers like knowledge facilities, crypto mining amenities, hydrogen manufacturing crops, and oil and fuel corporations.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox Information. Discover him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and e mail tricks to [email protected].
