Current U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed technology companies to construct their own power plants to support energy-hungry AI data centres. This move is seen as a bid to shield consumers from rising household electricity bills.
During his State of the Union address on the 24th of February 2026, Trump unveiled what he called a new “rate payer protection pledge”, aimed at easing the strain AI infrastructure is placing on the ageing US grid. “We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs, so that no one’s prices will go up”, he declared.
Citing power constraints, Trump added: “We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed”. Companies “can build their own plant” and “produce their own electricity,” he continued, arguing the approach would secure supply while “lowering prices of electricity for you”.
Details on enforcement remain unclear as Trump did not name the companies involved. Sources told Reuters the White House is expected to host big tech companies in early March to formalise the plan.
The proposal lands as grid operators warn of tightening supply. Earlier this month, national grid operator PJM Interconnection cautioned that surging demand from AI data centres could drive an electricity supply shortfall of up to 60GW in the country over the coming decade, Bloomberg reported.
In the last month, major technology players including Microsoft and Anthropic announced voluntary measures to limit the impact of data centres on consumer energy prices. Microsoft pledged to cover higher utility rates tied to its US data centres, collaborate with utilities to add required power and advocate for policies supporting affordable and reliable energy.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Stock Image
