Trump urges tech giants to cover data center power costs as demand surges

US President Donald Trump has called on major technology firms to cover their own electricity expenses to avoid burdening American households with rising utility bills.

Speaking on Truth Social, Trump said he would work with leading tech companies to ensure Americans are not forced to pay more for the nation’s booming data center industry. He singled out Microsoft as the first company to implement changes starting this week.

“I never want Americans to pay higher electricity bills because of data centers,” Trump stated, adding that the tech sector must “pay their own way” while continuing to drive the country’s AI and technology leadership. He criticized Democrats for contributing to rising household electricity costs over the past several years.

Data shows that the average price per kilowatt-hour in US cities has climbed about 40% over the last five years, according to the St. Louis Fed.

Power demand from data centers

US data centers accounted for 5.2% of the country’s electricity use in 2025—224 terawatt-hours (TWh)—a 21% increase from 2024, Visual Capitalist reported. Projections from McKinsey & Company indicate consumption could surpass 600 TWh by 2030, or 11.7% of national electricity.

Energy consumption in data centers is split between cooling systems, which consume 30–40%, and servers and IT equipment, which use 40–60% of total facility power. AI-focused workloads are driving particularly rapid growth, with the International Energy Agency estimating a 30% annual rise in electricity use, compared with 9% for conventional workloads.

Bitcoin mining and energy

Bitcoin mining, another energy-intensive sector, has also been scrutinized for electricity consumption. However, ESG analyst Daniel Batten recently found that regions in the US with heavy Bitcoin mining, such as Texas, did not experience disproportionate utility bill increases compared with national trends from 2021 to 2024.

Batten concluded that there is no evidence that Bitcoin mining directly increases consumer power costs. Additionally, mining can support environmental goals by integrating renewables, funding green energy research, and reducing methane emissions.

With the growth of data centers and AI infrastructure expected to continue, Trump’s call emphasizes corporate responsibility in energy consumption to protect consumers from escalating electricity costs.