President Trump's ambitious AI data center expansion is hitting major roadblocks due to tariffs on Chinese imports. Bloomberg reports that nearly half of planned US data centers for this year face delays or cancellation because developers can't import essential power infrastructure components like transformers and switchgear.

These components, which China has manufactured for US companies for decades, now face delivery times up to five years—compared to 24-30 months before 2020. The situation is particularly problematic since China is reportedly five years behind the US in AI development. Trump has pushed for domestic manufacturing, but US production capacity can't meet current demand.

Market intelligence firm Sightline Climate estimates only a third of the largest AI data centers scheduled for 2026 are currently under construction. Some companies are willing to pay tariffs and accept alleged national security risks to source components from China faster. Trump's March executive order ordering tech companies to "build, bring, or buy" power for their data centers failed to address this critical infrastructure bottleneck that threatens to derail America's AI ambitions.