Nasdaq plunges into correction threaten data centers and AI

The Nasdaq fell 5.1% Thursday into correction territory, more than 10% below its October record, as investors feared a data-center slowdown after Democrats swept the midterms; CoreWeave and Nebius dropped 14.6% and 18%, and data-center operators Iren and Applied Digital fell 20% and 19.7%. Voters rejected data centers in at least 46 of 50 related referendums, and OpenAI released a "National Community Compact" pledging reduced peak-time power use, shared impact data and local hiring. UBS analysts said construction pauses could affect around 30% of planned 2028 data-center capacity, while Meta's Dina Powell McCormick said hyperscalers are weighing building outside the US.