New renewable energy capacity, especially utility-scale solar, is being deployed rapidly to power data centers due to its low cost and speed of deployment.
Rising energy prices are putting AI and data centers in the spotlight, as data centers now consume about 4% of U.S. electricity, more than double their share in 2018, with projections rising to 6.7%–12% by 2028.
Consumers are increasingly worried that AI-driven data center growth will raise electricity bills, with 80% expressing concern in a recent survey.