The world's largest asset manager warns that the data center ban may trigger a US economic recession.

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm, recently warned that a moratorium on data center construction could push the US economy into recession.

"If our country imposes some form of ban on data center construction, the economy will fall into recession," Fink said in a media interview on Wednesday.

He stated that the US economy is largely based on the massive expansion of capital expenditure on AI infrastructure.

Fink issued this warning as the US midterm elections on November 3 are drawing near, and strong public opposition to data centers has posed political challenges to the Republican Party, where US President Donald Trump belongs.

Communities in many parts of the United States are facing problems such as rising electricity bills, water resource consumption, and environmental damage, while the public also doubts the transparency of related investments.

A poll released by Gallup in May this year shows that 71% of Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local areas, 48% of whom are "strongly opposed".

Fink acknowledged public concerns about the large-scale construction of data centers, but he also pointed out: "Most of these concerns stem from misinformation."

Wall Street analysts estimate that by 2027, the total capital expenditure in the AI sector may rise to more than 1 trillion US dollars, and the total will exceed 5 trillion US dollars by 2030.

"Data centers are not the problem. They are creating more new jobs than ever before," Fink said. He noted that such large-scale investment drives demand for construction workers, physical digital infrastructure, AI computing power hardware, and energy infrastructure that guarantees power supply to the grid.

Trump Supports the Construction of Data Centers

US President Donald Trump recently lashed out at the tendency of the American public to oppose data center construction, claiming that opposing AI infrastructure will ultimately make people "backward and poor".

"The only reason communities across the United States don't want data centers is that they ultimately want to be backward and poor. If they want to be successful and wealthy, enjoy greatly reduced tax burdens and widespread job opportunities, let Let Data Reign," Trump posted.

Trump has also repeatedly reiterated his position against slowing down the development of AI. In response, one of the most famous skeptics in the AI field, well-known short-selling investor Michael Burry, known as the "Big Short", stated bluntly last month that Trump opposes the slowdown of AI because he cannot afford the subsequent economic collapse.

Burry pointed out that the Trump administration has almost no room to let the AI boom cool down, and he believes that AI infrastructure construction has become a key pillar of the economy. He wrote in a post on Substack, "Trump and his team are very clear that the promotion and construction of AI are the only driving force supporting the US economy, and the most positive progress this year. They cannot afford a recession."

This article is from the WeChat official account CLS.cn, author: Bian Chun, published with authorization from 36Kr.