Utility companies are promising to save us from the AI ​​electricity bill

In the face of claims that the AI ​​boom will increase consumer electronics spending, the largest utilities and data processing companies in the US are now pledging to take action. The Wall Street Journal Reports say nearly 200 organizations have signed President Donald Trump’s “ratepayer bond” that aims to protect consumers from AI investment.

Trump is expected to announce the new signatories on Thursday, which include NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, Equinix, and Digital Realty, according to a list obtained by Price WSJ. An unnamed White House official told the publication that those who commit to the pledge will now account for nearly 80 percent of all energy supplied to homes and businesses in the US.

Now, the power industry has joined the effort to try to ease the furor, but that promise has done little to assuage public and bilateral concerns so far. Some data center projects have been completed reduced or prohibited in response to the depression, and the largest US electric power company PJM is expected to do so add $6.3 billion in additional costs for customers across 13 countries due to the need for data centers.

Fulfilling this promise will be difficult because electricity prices are often set by state regulators and electricity suppliers, not the federal government. This promise is voluntary and carries no penalty for non-compliance, making it a mere illusion for consumers to believe.