Zuckerberg and Musk Urge More AI Data Centers at G20

At a G20 meeting in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, called for the establishment of more AI data centers and the necessary electric power to support them. The meeting, organized by the White House, focused on the implications of artificial intelligence and aimed to keep its development largely free from government regulation.

Zuckerberg noted that building these data centers would require “hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of jobs” in skilled trades, emphasizing the difficulty in finding qualified workers. Musk pointed out a looming “crisis of power” that could give China an advantage in AI development, predicting a significant power shortfall in the coming year.

He also stated that AI could potentially increase the global economy by $20 trillion to $30 trillion annually. The meeting occurred amid rising public opposition to AI data centers due to concerns over electricity costs and noise, with President Donald Trump recently criticizing opponents of such facilities.