Governor Kathy Hochul told the Wall Street Journal she supports a temporary, targeted pause on permitting new hyperscale artificial-intelligence data centers that would draw 50 megawatts or more, while New York establishes clear rules for the industry.
In a letter published by the Journal, Hochul said the pause is meant to give regulators and industry time to set standards that protect ratepayers, nearby communities and energy infrastructure. She wrote that existing facilities will continue operating and that smaller projects may proceed while the state develops the framework.
The governor rejected the idea that regulation and competitiveness are mutually exclusive, saying America’s advantage lies in its talent and research base rather than lax rules. She also argued that most AI employment is not tied to server locations, and that data centers typically create relatively few long-term jobs compared with research and development clusters.
Hochul highlighted ongoing state efforts to support AI innovation, including Empire AI, a $500 million public–private initiative launched to strengthen New York’s AI research and commercialization ecosystem. She said the state expects to publish a model for “responsible AI” governance within about a year.
The letter was published in the Wall Street Journal and circulated by the governor’s press office. The announcement does not include further details about the specific rulemaking timeline, which state agencies will lead the process, or how the pause will affect particular projects in Western New York.
