US President Donald Trump, along with governors from several Northeastern states, is set to unveil an emergency wholesale electricity auction on Friday, Bloomberg reported. The initiative could require major American tech companies to help fund new power plants.
The surprise announcement comes amid rising concerns over how the US can supply enough electricity to power-hungry data centres, particularly as AI adoption surges, without burdening households and businesses with higher bills. Data centres have become critical infrastructure for tech firms racing to gain an edge in the global AI competition.
Under the proposed auction, tech companies would be obligated to pay for electricity for the full term of their contracts, regardless of actual usage. This approach is intended to ensure that consumers are not financially impacted by the massive energy demands of these data centres.
Trump has long advocated for data centre operators to fund accompanying power plants. On Monday, he reiterated this stance on social media, insisting that large tech firms constructing data centres must “pay their own way,” highlighting his administration’s push to shift the energy cost burden from the public to private corporations.
