The battle for megawatts: why restricting data centers is a strategic mistake

Serhiy Tokarev is co-founder and general partner at Roosh, a Ukrainian investment group whose portfolio includes AI infrastructure and energy companies.

In Ireland, data centers consume nearly a quarter of the country’s electricity. New grid connections around Dublin were effectively frozen for three years. Under revised rules, new projects must provide generation or storage capacity onsite or nearby. Amsterdam previously imposed a moratorium on new facilities, while Frankfurt regulates their location through zoning.

In July 2026, New York State introduced a moratorium of up to one year on certain environmental permits for new large data centers. State officials said the pause would allow them to assess the facilities’ impact on the power grid and the environment. As of May 2026, data center projects representing nearly 12 GW of potential demand were in the state’s grid interconnection queue.

Should governments restrict data centers when power grids cannot keep pace? I believe they should expand power supply and grid capacity instead.

As co-founder and general partner of Roosh Investment Group, I have been investing in technology companies for over five years. Our portfolio includes AI infrastructure, and energy is now a key focus. This experience has shown me how access to energy infrastructure influences investment decisions. Reliable power is increasingly becoming a decisive factor in a company’s ability to scale and attract capital.

As businesses rely more on AI, control over its models and infrastructure matters more. A foreign provider’s decision to change terms, raise prices, or restrict access could affect entire industries. Domestic computing capacity gives countries more control over the infrastructure their businesses depend on.

Control over AI is becoming a source of economic power

This helps explain the intensity of U.S.–China competition in AI. American companies hold........

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