By Clare Duffy
Publication Date: 2026-01-13 15:12:00
New York
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Microsoft says it will ask to pay higher electricity bills in areas where it’s building data centers, in an effort to prevent electricity prices for local residents from rising in those areas. The move is part of a broader plan to address rising prices and other concerns sparked by the tech industry’s massive buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure across the United States.
Big Tech is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build the data centers that power AI systems. They hoover up vast amounts of electricity, but it’s a project that leaders in Silicon Valley and on Capitol Hill have framed as essential for the economy and national security.
But the rising costs from that electricity demand has prompted backlash from local communities worried about the impact on their energy bills and the environment. Areas near data centers saw an…
