Trump Says Tech Firms Must Cover AI Data Center Power Demand Themselves

"Pushing 'Rate Payer Protection Pledges'"

Donald Trump, President of the United States, is speaking during his first State of the Union address since the start of his second term on the 24th (local time). Reuters/Yonhap News

As the cost of living has emerged as a major problem for American households, President Donald Trump announced on the 24th (local time) that he will require major technology companies to cover the power demand related to their artificial intelligence (AI) data centers on their own.

President Trump said in his State of the Union address delivered that night at a joint session of the House and Senate that he is pursuing what he called "rate payer protection pledges," which include this policy.

President Trump explained, "We are notifying major technology companies that they have an obligation to meet their own power demand," adding, "If they build their own power plants on their factory sites, no one’s bills will go up, and in many cases, electricity rates in local communities will go down."

He continued, "Many Americans worry that the energy demand of AI data centers will unfairly drive up their electric bills," and added, "Our power grid is outdated. It cannot handle the amount of power that is needed. So I told them to build their own power plants. They will produce for themselves the power they use."

He is pushing this measure in response to concerns raised in some states that expanding AI infrastructure could place a heavy burden on the power grid and lead to higher electricity rates. This also appears to be closely connected to the inflation issue, which is sensitive for voters ahead of the midterm elections in November.

Meanwhile, President Trump said that the United States has secured more than 80 million barrels of oil from Venezuela following the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He stated, "We have just received more than 80 million barrels of crude oil from our new friend and partner, Venezuela," and added, "U.S. oil production has increased by more than 600,000 barrels per day."