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President Donald Trump said on Jan. 12 that Microsoft will “make major changes” this week to ensure that U.S. consumers are not facing increased power bills because of increasing demand from data centers.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said his administration was working with Microsoft and other tech companies to protect U.S. consumers from rising electricity prices due to the expanded consumption by data centers in the United States.
“I never want Americans to pay higher Electricity bills because of Data Centers,” he stated. “Therefore, my Administration is working with major American Technology Companies to secure their commitment to the American People, and we will have much to announce in the coming weeks.”
Trump said that Microsoft will be the first to make changes starting this week to ensure that U.S. consumers do not bear the cost of power consumed by its data centers.
“Data Centers are key to that boom, and keeping Americans FREE and SECURE but, the big Technology Companies who build them must ‘pay their own way,’” the president stated.
Microsoft has not publicly commented on Trump’s post. The Epoch Times has reached out to the company for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, said in September that the company will spend $4 billion to build a second data center in Wisconsin, bringing its total investment in the state to over $7 billion.
Smith added that Microsoft has been working to ensure its data centers do not drive up residents’ electricity prices.
“We appreciate that energy prices are increasing across the country and have worked hard to ensure our datacenter will not drive-up costs for our neighbors.
“That’s why we’re pre-paying for the energy and electrical infrastructure that we’ll use—ensuring prices remain stable and protecting consumers from future cost increases because of our datacenter,” he stated.
In 2024, the United States accounted for the largest share of global data center electricity consumption with 45 percent, followed by China at 25 percent and Europe at 15 percent, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
“By the end of the decade, the country is set to consume more electricity for data centres than for the production of aluminium, steel, cement, chemicals, and all other energy-intensive goods combined,” IEA stated on its website.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) stated on Dec. 4, 2025, that U.S. electricity generation is expected to increase by 1.7 percent this year due to growing power demand from data centers, amid a push to advance AI technology developments in the United States.
Since taking office last year, the Trump administration has supported investments in AI infrastructure developments in the United States, announcing several executive orders to maintain U.S. leadership in the AI sector. The White House’s “AI Action Plan,” released in July 2025, stated that the country seeks to build “the most powerful AI systems in the world.”
