Americans’ AI hate wave might just be gathering steam: Data centers could hike power costs in some states over 50% by 2030

Environmental advocates and progressive lawmakers hold a rally in support of legislation that would put a moratorium on new data centers in the state on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. (Credit: Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)

For years, the American power grid was a bastion of predictable stability. Throughout the 2010s, U.S. electricity demand remained flat as efficiency gains and declines in energy-intensive sectors such as manufacturing helped obscure the dawning digital age.

But the power grid as it once was might be no match for the technological demands of the 2020s. Retail electricity prices have soared in recent years, an increase fast outpacing inflation over the same period, in part due to the rising power costs associated with the artificial intelligence-driven infrastructure boom. Electricity costs have been one of the factors fueling the recent nosedive AI has taken in public polling, and a new study suggests residential utility pain tied to the technology needs of this decade might be just getting started.