Senators probe whether AI data centers are driving up electricity costs

Democratic lawmakers are investigating data centers’ impact on electricity costs

A Meta data center in Ashburn, Virginia. | Photo: Getty Images Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) fired off a letter on Tuesday to Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and several major data center developers to investigate the impact they're having on Americans' utility bills. The move comes as rising electricity rates became an increasingly hot-button issue in the US, which has far more data cent…

Senators probe whether AI data centers are driving up electricity costs

In formal letters sent to seven tech firms – Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Equinix, Digital Realty, and CoreWeave – Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut raised concerns that data center growth has coincided with dramatic increases in local utility rates. They...Read Entire Article

Warren Probes AI Data Centers’ Role in Surging U.S. Electricity Bills

As the artificial intelligence boom accelerates, a growing chorus of concern is emerging from Washington over its hidden toll on American households. Democratic senators have launched a pointed investigation into how the voracious energy demands of AI-powered data centers are inflating electricity bills for everyday consumers. This scrutiny, detailed in a recent report from The Verge, highlights a tension between technological advancement and ec…