An investigation launched by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) into how much data centers are driving up Americans’ electric bills has the industry playing defense. On Thursday, the lawmakers announced that, in response to their investigative inquiries, the nation’s largest data center developers are making new commitments to “pay their fair share,” including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, Equinix, CoreWeave, and Digital Realty. But the senators are not satisfied, arguing that data center developers need to be more transparent and stop using NDAs to keep information from the public. Sen. Van Hollen also said that he plans to press forward with his bill to compel data centers to cover the cost of the electricity they use.
