US tech giants are expected to sign a pledge next week to build or buy their own energy supplies to power data centers.
The White House gathering, Axios reported, is part of President Donald Trump’s election-year efforts to address voters’ concerns over rising energy costs as a result of the facilities.
Several companies have already moved toward providing their own electricity rather than straining local grids, following pressure from politicians and communities.
But some analysts argue Trump should instead push the tech firms to invest in upgrading the grid infrastructure — to the benefit of everyone — rather than build out a new “shadow grid.”
Trump “essentially envisions a bespoke new power system built in parallel to the existing one,” Semafor’s energy editor wrote.
