President Donald Trump wants data center companies to make an offer residents may find harder to refuse: a financial benefit from hosting the infrastructure powering the AI boom.

In an Oct. 21 Truth Social post, Trump urged data center operators to pay dividends to the communities hosting their facilities, arguing that financial agreements could help turn unpopular projects into more acceptable developments.

The proposal comes as communities increasingly question the electricity demands, water consumption and local costs associated with AI infrastructure. While Trump’s statement does not establish a nationwide payment requirement, it raises a larger question for the industry: Can sharing the economic benefits of data centers make it easier to build them?

Why communities are pushing back against data centers

The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure has intensified concerns about the resources needed to operate large data centers, particularly electricity and water.

While AI companies have tried to tout…