Big Tech Signs White House Data Center Pledge With Good Optics and Little Substance

Several key tech companies signed a nonbinding pledge at the White House on Wednesday that the Trump administration claims will ensure that tech companies do not pass the cost of data centers onto consumers’ utility bills.

“Data centers … they need some PR help,” said President Donald Trump at the event. “People think that if the data center goes in, their electricity is going to go up.”

He was flanked by representatives from Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, xAI, Google/Alphabet, Oracle, and Amazon.

Bipartisan anger about data centers and their potential impact on consumers’ electric bills has exploded over the past year. As the White House goes all in on AI, the pledge marks a significant salvo by the Trump administration to assure voters that they will not be affected by rising costs.

But electricity experts and industry insiders threw doubt on how much power the White House actually has to create ...