New York State recommends demanding AI data centers pay $1 million in community investment per megawatt — framework advises towns to plan for maintenance costs, site abandonment, and other contingencies

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has just announced the Community Investment Framework (CIF), which serves as a negotiation guide for towns and municipalities in the state when they’re dealing with data center developers, recommending that communities demand $1 million per megawatt for the privilege of housing data centers. According to Empire State Development [PDF], the state’s economic development agency, the CIF offers “a structured approach to identifying, negotiating, and documenting investments from data center developers/operators/owners that address local priorities and create lasting community benefits.”Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.