US President Donald Trump has announced that Microsoft will roll out “major changes” this week to ensure American households don’t end up footing the bill for the tech giant’s power-hungry AI data centres. “I never want Americans to pay higher Electricity bills because of Data Centers,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that the “big Technology Companies who build them must ‘pay their own way.'”Following Trump’s call-out, Microsoft unveiled a five-point plan on Tuesday, promising to ask utilities to charge it more for electricity, replenish more water than its data centres consume, hire locally, skip property tax breaks, and provide free AI training to schools and small businesses.The announcement comes as utility bills have climbed across at least 13 US states due to the massive energy demands of AI infrastructure. Data from earlier reports showed electricity prices jumped roughly 6% year-on-year, with some regions like Maine seeing spikes as high as 36%.
Microsoft faces pressure ahead of midterms
Trump’s move signals a broader push to rein in Big Tech’s energy footprint before the upcoming midterm elections. His administration has been working to lower consumer costs across multiple fronts, from mortgage rates to prescription drugs like Ozempic.Microsoft, for its part, has already shown sensitivity to the issue. At a September town hall in Wisconsin, company president Brad Smith told residents: “I just want you to know we are doing everything we can… so that you all don’t have to pay more for electricity because of our presence.”The company even scrapped plans for a data centre in Caledonia, Wisconsin, after facing local opposition.
Nuclear deal and $1 billion loan power Microsoft’s AI ambitions
Microsoft’s energy strategy has taken some unconventional turns. The company signed a 20-year deal in 2024 to purchase power from the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania — yes, the same facility that was home to America’s worst nuclear accident in 1979. The Trump administration backed this with a $1 billion federal loan in November 2025.The reactor set to reopen is separate from the one involved in the 1979 meltdown and is expected to come online by 2027, powering the equivalent of 800,000 homes.Trump hinted that more announcements with other tech companies are on the way. Meta, Amazon, and Google have all made similar pledges to cover their own utility costs amid growing consumer pushback.
