AI-driven demand for data-center power has pushed electricity prices higher and
prompted outage warnings in parts of the US. On the 18th, the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) asked regional grid operators to adopt new
agreements to speed interconnection for large users such as data centers, and
said it will no longer proactively factor environmental impacts under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when drafting rules. Data Center Map
shows more than 4,000 operational US data centers, with many more planned or
under construction; buildouts are outpacing new power-plant commissioning and
slow interconnection is forcing tech firms to compete for power allocations. The
Electric Power Research Institute estimates data centers now account for about
5% of US electricity demand and could reach roughly 20% by 2035.
