White House to host Big Tech in pledge to rein in power costs
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
Feb 25 (REUTERS) - The White House plans to host leading data center and artificial intelligence companies including Microsoft, Anthropic and Meta Platforms in early March to formalize a deal to shield consumers from rising electricity costs, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
The meeting is expected to advance an initiative President Donald Trump unveiled during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, in which he said he had told major technology firms they must build their own power plants to run the rapidly-expanding fleet of data centers and other artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The pledge under discussion is expected to resemble commitments already offered earlier this year by Microsoft to invest in new electricity generation and efficiency measures, the sources said.
"We appreciate the Administration’s work to ensure that data centers don’t contribute to higher electricity prices for consumers," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's Vice Chair and President. The company did not say whether it would be in attendance next week or whether it would sign any new pledge.
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners.
Loading
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment and Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has made the global AI race, and securing the vast amounts of electricity needed to power it, a primary focus of his second term. That agenda, however, has become politically precarious ahead of the midterms as energy demand growth from data centers pushes up power bills over a wide swath of the country.
The recent proliferation of giant data center projects — needed for the expansion of artificial intelligence technologies — has been met with increasing local and state protests over concerns of rising bills and pollution tied to the developments.
Newsletter
Week in Review
Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review
Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app