International crypto bans lead to more data center builds in the US

According to experts, there is an emerging trend towards more crypto data centers being built in the US as a result of other markets introducing bans. China banned cryptocurrency last year, and Russia, in January, proposed a ban, too. That's not all - Sweden is also seeking to ban mining in the European Union. Of course, this means the US could end up dominating the market. 

Commenting on the events that have triggered this trend, Ryan Ferguson, vice president and project executive of Mission Critical at McCarthy Building Companies: "China's outlawing of cryptocurrency mining sparked an arms race to deploy these facilities in North America."

Sean Mulligan, director of mission-critical for Edmonton, Alberta-based PCL Construction, says this is a trend that is "not going away." He outlined: "There's way too many people that have too much invested in it to just see it disappear."

However, there are discussions in the US, too about the energy consumption of these data centers and very real environmental concerns. Pinned as the next climate fight, Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren and ​​the House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership are driving the call for enhanced scrutiny and tighter regulations.