Trump presses data centers on power as Anthropic defends safety policies

President Donald Trump said large new data centers should generate their own electricity and return or sell excess power to local communities or the grid. He also urged companies to pay residents a “dividend” to build support for projects facing opposition over power and water demands. In Memphis, the city council rejected an 18-month pause on new data center development despite residents’ concerns.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei defended the company’s safety record after criticism from AI-safety nonprofit Encode over computing commitments, model-development practices and policy changes. Amodei highlighted restrictions on selling AI services to Chinese state-controlled companies, limited access to its Mythos model and safeguards against biological-weapons misuse. He acknowledged communication mistakes around a draft federal safety bill and reiterated a commitment to propose options for regulating AI research by Jan. 15, 2027, or explain why it would not.

Political divisions are widening ahead of the midterms. Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed proposed government ownership of about 50% of the industry’s value, while Republican rival Mike Rogers warned the approach would discourage investment. A New York Times/Siena poll found 48% of likely voters trusted Democrats on AI, compared with 37% for Republicans. Industry-backed political groups are also divided over whether a federal regulatory standard should override state AI laws.