U.S. stocks fell sharply on Thursday amid concerns that a shift in congressional political control following the midterm elections could slow construction of data centers powering artificial intelligence services. The Nasdaq Composite Index tumbled 1,422 points, or 5.5%, to close at 24,315, putting the tech-heavy index in a "correction," or down more than 10% from its most recent all-time high set in October. The broader S&P 500 dropped 335 points, or 4.4%, to end at 7,354, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 1,833 points, or 3.4%. The decline continued on markets in Europe and Asia on Friday, but U.S. shares were set to trade mixed, with Dow futures down 0.8% at 51,192.00 and S&P 500 futures adding almost 0.3% to 7,402.50. Market watchers think Democrats' sweeping electoral victories this week could bolster opponents of data centers and slow the rollout of facilities that have spurred widespread public opposition. Wall Street analyst Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge said the rout could potentially delay the highly anticipated initial public offering by Anthropic, which before the turmoil had been expected this month and to raise as much as $100 billion. The drop marks a sharp reversal from Wednesday, when the Dow posted its biggest gain of the year.