Top tech companies sign Trump's pledge to provide their own power for AI data centers
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In a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, executives from seven major tech companies signed a pledge with President Trump to supply their own power for artificial intelligence data centers.Leaders from Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI agreed to the “ratepayer protection pledge” Trump first announced during last week’s State of the Union address.The president said the plan will help shield residents from higher electricity costs in areas where AI data centers are being built.
AI data centers currently consume about 4% to 6% of electricity in the U.S., but that figure is projected to soar to as high as 12% by 2028.“Under this new agreement, Big Tech companies are committing to fully cover the cost of increased electricity production required for AI data centers,” the president said Wednesday.
“Prices in communities will not go up, but in many cases will actually come down, and very substantially.” Climate & Environment In his State of the Union address, Trump laid out a plan to address rising consumer energy costs: double down on fossil fuels like oil and coal, and make AI data centers pay for their own power.Energy affordability is becoming a key issue for voters.While Trump has ordered the acceleration of domestic fossil fuel production including oil, gas and coal, residential electric bills have been climbing — from an average of 15.9 cents per kilowatt-hour in January 2025 to 17.2 cents at the end of December, according to the U.S.
Energy Information Administration.Experts on both sides of the political aisle say the issue could lead to poor outcomes for Republicans in the midterm elections this November.Last year, Democratic candidates won key races in New Jersey and Virginia after campaigning heavily on energy affordability.
The pledge signed Wednesday is voluntary and is not clear about how the companies will source the ener...