News Summary

• Bessent: "If they were to pull ahead of us on AI, then nothing else matters" Bessent tied the competition with China to the u.s. buildout of data centers and other infrastructure needed for AI.
• He criticized technology companies for failing to engage adequately with communities affected by new data-center construction.
• The treasury secretary gave data- center developers, hyperscalers and major AI companies a "D-minus" for community outreach and said they needed to do a better job explaining projects and potential residents.