Microsoft says it will cover data-center power costs to avoid higher bills

Businessinsider reports Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, said the company will ensure its data-center electricity costs are not passed on to residential customers. In a blog post Smith wrote, "We'll pay our way to ensure our datacenters don't increase your electricity prices," a statement posted one day after President Trump said on Truth Social he does not want Americans to "pick up the tab" for data-center electricity costs.

The outlet's tally found Microsoft had filed permits for 44 data centers nationwide as of the end of 2024, the fifth-highest count in the analysis. Twenty-four of those are in Virginia, eight in Texas, and four each in Illinois and Iowa; about half of the 44 are among 322 very large facilities estimated to consume 40 megawatts or more.

The company's most power-intensive facility in the analysis is in Maricopa County, Arizona, and if all 44 permitted sites come online they could demand between 16 and 25 terawatt-hours a year — a midpoint roughly equivalent to the annual use of 1.8 million US homes. The recent permit surge — 1,240 data centers filed as of 2024, roughly quadruple the 2010 level — has driven concerns about rising consumer electricity costs and local opposition.

Key Topics

Tech, Microsoft, Brad Smith, Data Centers, Electricity Costs, Utilities