Microsoft announced a five-step plan on January 13 called “Community-Driven AI Infrastructure”. This is how they plan to solve the problems associated with the opposition to building AI data centers.
The plan includes increasing spending to prevent other customers from increasing their electricity bills, minimizing water consumption, training workers and creating jobs, and contributing to the local tax base at construction sites.
The details are described by technology media The Verge.
Tech companies have faced a surge in opposition to data center projects. In the US, the issue has affected local elections and some communities have even prompted companies to cancel or postpone projects. According to Heatmap Pro analysis, at least 25 projects across the US have been canceled due to negative reactions from local residents.
Rising electricity rates have become one of the biggest hot topics in the US, a trend driven in part by the growing demand for electricity from data centers. Household electricity bills in the US are set to rise by 13% in 2025.
According to the Department of Energy, electricity demand in data centers is expected to double or triple and consume up to 12% of all American electricity by 2028.
Microsoft says it will ask for rates to be set high enough to cover the cost of electricity for the companyʼs data centers, which would include the costs of building new infrastructure to meet the growing demand for AI.
The company also promises greater transparency about where it plans to build data centers and how much energy they use. Tech companies have faced criticism from local residents for making confidential agreements with utilities and asking local officials to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Microsoft isn’t the only big tech company taking a similar stance. Meta pledged in December to restore water sources in the areas where its data centers are located. Amazon commissioned a study in late 2025 that found that the company’s data centers generate more revenue for utilities than it costs utilities to maintain the facilities.
US President Donald Trump, who last year pledged to accelerate data center development in his Artificial Intelligence Action Plan, has also joined Microsoft in responding to outrage over rising energy bills. In posts on Truth Social on January 12, he wrote that his team is working with Microsoft and other technology companies to make sure Americans don’t “pay” for data center energy use.
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