More than 200 organisations, including major utilities, data-centre developers and 23 Republican governors, have joined President Trump’s non-binding Ratepayer Protection Pledge. Signatories say they will meet new data-centre electricity needs and fund related grid upgrades without passing costs to household and business customers, amid concern that AI-driven demand is raising power prices. The pledge matters because data-centre expansion is increasing pressure on electricity systems, but it carries no legal obligations or penalties for non-compliance.

The White House says participating utilities account for 80 per cent of power delivered to US homes and businesses, and that the pledge covers 263 million people. Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon were among the original signatories when the initiative launched in March. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association estimates Americans will pay about 10.5 per cent more for electricity between June and September 2026 than in the same period of 2025, partly because of rising demand.