America’s President, Donald Trump is set to unveil a bold plan requiring major companies to bankroll new power plants, targeting the skyrocketing electricity demands from AI data centers that are driving up consumer bills nationwide.
According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration, alongside governors from high-impact states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, will urge PJM Interconnection—the nation’s largest grid operator—to launch an emergency power auction.
This move aims make tech giants bid on 15-year contracts financing up to $15 billion in new generation capacity.
The proposal comes as AI-fueled data centers strain the grid, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, home to over 67 million people.
“There are now 3,789 active data centers across the U.S.,” notes Data Center Map, with the International Energy Agency projecting they will devour more than 10% of the nation’s total electricity by 2030.
Trump has repeatedly called for rapid power plant construction to counter this boom. Microsoft took an early step this week, pledging higher electricity fees and reduced water usage for its data centers following Trump’s public pressure.
On Friday, Elon Musk replied tweeting that “Space” might resolve the energy crunch.
This initiative builds on Trump’s recent Truth Social post teasing collaboration with “major American Technology Companies.”
While details remain fluid, the auction could mark a pivotal shift in how Big Tech shoulders infrastructure burdens amid America’s AI revolution.
