- DAMAC Founder Hussain Sajwani to Invest $20 Billion in US Data Center Infrastructure
- Trump and Sajwani have indicated that this sum could more than double
- The investment will “keep the United States at the forefront of technology and artificial intelligence”
US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed plans to invest $20 billion in US data center infrastructure.
Instead of coming from the government, the cash will be provided by Emirati billionaire and founder of real estate development company DAMAC Hussain Sajwani, Trump revealed at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.
The first phase of the investment will focus on Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas, although Trump and Sajwani did not rule out future investments.
US Data Center Financing
Addressing reporters on stage, Trump said the $20 billion investment would be available “in a very short period of time.” He also said DAMAC has indicated its willingness to “double or even more than double the amount of money” as a sign of the company’s confidence in the United States.
A detailed timeline or further details have not been shared yet, but we do know that the data centers will be primarily designed to support AI and cloud technologies.
Trump added that the investment would “keep the United States at the forefront of technology and artificial intelligence,” a notable statement given the country’s ongoing battle with China when it comes to artificial intelligence and the powerful chips the technology requires. .
Speaking on stage, Sajwani confirmed Trump’s comments that DAMAC would be willing to invest more than $20 billion if market opportunities are satisfactory.
However, the news is not without disadvantages: data centers are widely criticized for their high energy consumption and the use of other natural resources such as water for cooling. In its latest environmental report, Google noted a 48% increase in data center emissions, blaming the rapid expansion of AI for the negative impacts.
In his speech, Trump stated that companies investing more than $1 billion in the United States would benefit from expedited environmental reviews, helping them establish themselves more quickly.
More broadly, hyperscalers have also committed to big spends in the industry. Last month, AWS pledged to spend $21 billion to support its infrastructure in two US states, promising to create more jobs.
