President Donald Trump defended the continued expansion of data centers, arguing they are essential to maintaining the United States’ lead over China in artificial intelligence.

Trump said data centers create jobs and economic growth and claimed many facilities are building their own power plants rather than taking electricity from the public grid.

However, some data centers do rely on the electrical grid, while others are developing dedicated power sources to supply their operations.

The comments come as data centers face growing opposition, with governors in states including Texas, Pennsylvania and New York taking steps to limit or regulate their expansion, Axios has reported.

The issue is increasingly becoming a political concern, with opposition to data centers emerging among candidates from both parties and potentially influencing future elections.