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Utility companies are promising to spare us from AI’s energy bill

Utility companies are promising to spare us from AI’s energy bill
The Verge Wednesday 22 July 2026, 10:12 UTC By Jess Weatherbed 1 min read
Key Points

The pledge was introduced in March, and has done little to quell concerns so far. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images In the face of backlash to concerns the AI boom will increase consumer electricity bills, the largest utility companies and data center developers in the US are now promising to do something about it. The Wall Street Journal reports that nearly 200 organizations have signed President Donald Trump's "rate payer protection pledge" that's meant to safeguard...

The pledge was introduced in March, and has done little to quell concerns so far. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

In the face of backlash to concerns the AI boom will increase consumer electricity bills, the largest utility companies and data center developers in the US are now promising to do something about it. The Wall Street Journal reports that nearly 200 organizations have signed President Donald Trump's "rate payer protection pledge" that's meant to safeguard consumers from footing the AI bill.

Trump is expected to announce the new signatories on Thursday, which includes NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, Equinix, and Digital Realty, according to a list obtained by The WSJ. An unnamed White House official told the publication that those who have comm …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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AI (ORG) Getty Images (ORG) US (LOCATION) The Wall Street Journal (ORG) Donald Trump (PERSON) Trump (ORG) NextEra Energy (ORG) Duke Energy (ORG) Equinix (LOCATION) Digital Realty (ORG) WSJ (ORG) White House (ORG)
Originally published by The Verge Read original →

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