The biggest AI tech companies, including Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google, are expected to join President Donald Trump at the White House today to sign the new “ratepayer protection pledge” in a bid to keep electricity prices under control. Trump said during the State of the Union address, “We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power need.” According to Bloomberg, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI have confirmed attendance at the White House event on Wednesday, while Google declined to comment.
The massive power demands of the AI data centers have upended the electricity market, causing electricity costs for the average American to increase sharply. Some states have reported an increase of up to 36%, with wholesale power prices increasing by 267% in just five years. This is putting undue stress on the ordinary consumer, so much so that both sides of the aisle are demanding action from tech giants.
