US senators' report: data centre firms aren't paying full grid costs, keep using NDAs
Sorted AI12 OctUS Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen and Richard Blumenthal released a 27-page report on 9 October 2026, "Power and Profits: How the AI Data Center Boom Costs Households and Communities", after a nearly yearlong investigation. They had written in December 2025 to Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, CoreWeave, Digital Realty and Equinix, and followed up with interviews.
The senators say the companies' pledges to pay their "full energy costs" cover only infrastructure that serves them alone, not shared grid upgrades that ratepayers fund. They also say all four Big Tech companies routinely ask utilities, landowners and sometimes officials to sign NDAs, that the companies will keep seeking sales tax exemptions on chips and equipment, and that none of the seven gave comprehensive figures on full-time jobs created. These are the senators' findings; the release does not include the companies' responses.
Why it matters: For businesses near planned data centres, power bills and local tax deals are where AI's costs show up first. Expect more states and towns to push for disclosure and cost-sharing rules.
Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren ↗AI-assisted, reviewed by Sorted AI
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