Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act
- Sponsor
- Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14]
- Committees
- Energy and Commerce Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Jun 24, 2026
Bottom line
The bill seeks to halt the physical expansion of AI infrastructure in the U.S. and restrict its export until comprehensive federal regulations are established to address AI's societal risks, ensure equitable economic benefits, and protect communities and the environment.
What it actually does
This bill imposes an immediate moratorium on the construction and upgrading of new or existing artificial intelligence data centers. This moratorium will remain in effect until Congress enacts laws that ensure federal review and approval of AI products for safety, prevent job displacement due to AI, share AI-generated wealth with the public, and mandate strict environmental, community approval, and labor standards for any future data centers. It also establishes export controls on computing infrastructure hardware to countries without comparable AI safeguards.
Proponents argue
Proponents argue that unchecked artificial intelligence development poses catastrophic risks, including mass job displacement, privacy erosion, environmental harm, and even existential threats, as warned by leading experts and industry figures cited in the bill's findings. They contend that a pause is necessary to allow policymakers to enact robust safeguards, ensure AI benefits society broadly, and prevent unelected tech leaders from unilaterally shaping humanity's future.
Opponents contend
Opponents would likely argue that imposing a moratorium on data center construction would severely stifle innovation, harm U.S. competitiveness in the global AI race, and lead to significant economic disruption. They might contend that such broad and prescriptive regulations are premature, difficult to implement, and could drive AI development and investment to other countries, ultimately undermining U.S. leadership and job creation in a critical technological sector.
The bill is relatively short and straightforward, making it accessible for an informed reader to evaluate its core provisions within a reasonable timeframe.
Section 1
Short Title
This section establishes the official short title of the Act as the 'Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act'. This is the common name by which the bill would be known and referenced.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that a clear and concise short title helps in public discourse and legislative tracking, making the bill's purpose immediately identifiable.
Critics contend
No specific opposition is typically raised against the short title of a bill, as it is a standard legislative practice.
Tradeoffs
None inherent in the provision of a short title itself.
Section 2
Findings on AI Dangers and Calls for Regulation
This section outlines Congress's findings, citing numerous warnings from prominent tech leaders and experts (including Elon Musk, Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mustafa Suleyman, Jim Farley, Larry Ellison, Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, and Mark Zuckerberg) about the catastrophic consequences of unchecked AI development, such as job displacement, surveillance, and existential risks. It also highlights calls from these leaders for regulation and pauses in AI development to ensure humanity's safety.
Section 3(a)
Definition of Artificial Intelligence Data Center
This section defines what constitutes an 'artificial intelligence data center' for the purposes of the moratorium. It includes buildings, equipment, and structures on a single or connected site, owned/operated by the same entity, that are used for developing or operating AI models at scale. Crucially, it also includes data centers with a maximum rated power capacity or total peak power load exceeding 20 megawatts, designed to deliver 20 kilowatts or more to a single server rack, or utilizing liquid cooling systems for hardware.
Section 3(b)
Moratorium on Construction of New AI Data Centers
This provision establishes an immediate moratorium, starting on the date of enactment, on the construction or upgrading of new or existing artificial intelligence data centers. The moratorium will only be lifted once Congress enacts one or more laws that ensure: federal review and approval of AI products for safety, policies to prevent AI-driven job displacement and share wealth with U.S. citizens, and strict conditions for future AI data centers (no utility bill increases, no climate harm, community approval, no government subsidies, and creation of union jobs with strong labor standards).
Section 3(c)
Quarterly Reporting Requirements for AI Data Centers
This section mandates that the Secretary of Energy submit quarterly public reports to Congress on artificial intelligence data centers. These reports must include detailed information on financial vehicles, water and energy usage, infrastructure needs, greenhouse gas emissions (including fenceline air quality monitoring), wastewater discharge, thermal outputs, cooling chemicals, noise levels, wages and benefits, job creation (temporary and permanent), land acquisition agreements, utility agreements, and a certification that no federal, state, or local subsidies were used. The Secretary is granted powers (subpoenas, interrogatories, inspections) to verify this information.
Section 4
Export Controls on Computing Infrastructure Hardware
This section mandates that the Secretary of Commerce prohibit the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of 'computing infrastructure hardware' (semiconductors, integrated circuits, computers, networking equipment, data storage systems) if it is intended for use in an artificial intelligence data center or for training/deployment of AI models at scale. This prohibition applies to any country that does not have statutes or regulations comparable to the U.S. laws required to lift the moratorium (i.e., AI safety, job protection, wealth sharing, and environmental/community standards for data centers), or to any person in such a country.
This sub-provision defines an 'artificial intelligence data center' not just by its explicit use for AI models at scale, but also by specific technical thresholds: a maximum rated power capacity or total peak power load exceeding 20 megawatts, and being designed or equipped to deliver 20 kilowatts or more of electrical power to a single server rack, or utilizing liquid cooling systems for electronic hardware.
Section 3(a)(3)(B)
Why it matters:The technical specificity is standard legislative practice for precise scope definition, but its placement within a definition rather than a direct operative clause could make its broad implications less immediately apparent.
Case for: Proponents would argue that these technical thresholds are necessary to precisely capture the large-scale, high-density computing infrastructure typically associated with advanced AI development, ensuring the moratorium applies to the intended targets and prevents circumvention through general-purpose data center construction.
Case against: Critics might argue that these technical specifications are overly broad or could inadvertently capture data centers not primarily dedicated to AI, or that they could become quickly outdated as technology evolves, leading to unintended consequences or limiting future innovation in data center design.
Estimated impact: This provision significantly expands the scope of the moratorium beyond facilities explicitly labeled 'AI data centers' to include any large-scale, high-power-density computing facilities, regardless of their stated primary purpose, if they meet the technical criteria.