"The White House is signaling it may force Big Tech to foot the full bill for America's AI boom. Peter Navarro, President Donald Trump's trade advisor, said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that data center builders must "internalize" the costs of the electricity, water, and grid strain their AI infrastructure creates. Companies building data centers "need to pay for all of the costs," and taxpayers should not shoulder the impact of the AI boom."
"Tech giants are pouring hundreds of billions into infrastructure to power artificial intelligence. In November, Meta pledged $600 billion to expand AI technology, infrastructure, and its workforce. Apple said in August it would boost its US infrastructure plans by adding another $100 billion, bringing its total commitment to $600 billion. At the same time, energy costs are rising. Electric and gas utilities sought $31 billion in rate hikes from regulators last year, more than twice the $15 billion requested the year before."
The White House signals it may require Big Tech to pay the full costs associated with expanding AI data centers, including electricity, water, and grid impacts, to prevent taxpayer burden. Data-center construction has driven huge corporate commitments to AI infrastructure, with Meta pledging $600 billion and Apple increasing US investments by $100 billion to a $600 billion total. Rising demand has coincided with higher utility rate requests; electric and gas companies sought $31 billion in rate hikes last year, more than double the prior year's $15 billion request, and some providers cite large-scale data centers as a factor.
Read at Business Insider
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