President Donald Trump announced that major artificial intelligence companies and hyperscalers have signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, an agreement requiring them to pay the full costs of electricity and infrastructure for their facilities so American households are not hit with higher utility bills.
Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI have committed to building, bringing, or buying new-generation resources to meet their energy demands and to cover all power-delivery infrastructure upgrades. Those expenses will not be passed on to ordinary ratepayers, according to the White House.
The companies agreed to negotiate separate rate structures with utilities and state governments. They will pay for the power and related infrastructure brought online for their data centers, whether or not they use the electricity.
They also pledged to coordinate with grid operators to make backup generation resources available during emergencies, helping prevent blackouts and strengthen reliability. In addition, the firms have committed to hiring and training workers from the local communities where they build data centers, creating jobs and developing workforce skills.
The White House said America’s continued economic and technological leadership depends on reliable, large-scale data center infrastructure built here at home. Data center infrastructure is the foundation of the internet, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, while supporting economic and national security, it noted.
“As that infrastructure grows and the related electricity demand increases, the American people should not be footing the bill for the benefit of private companies,” the announcement stated.
The pledge addresses a surge in electricity demand driven by rapid technological advancements and increased domestic manufacturing that has strained the nation’s electric grid.
The announcement builds on Trump’s energy policies. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order opening federal lands and waters and streamlining permitting, which boosted oil, natural gas, and coal production and led to lower prices.
Trump terminated what the administration called the “Green New Scam,” ending massive taxpayer subsidies for unreliable energy sources, and rescinding regulations from the previous administration that officials said raised electricity prices. He established the National Energy Dominance Council to maximize U.S. energy production, reduce regulatory burdens, and strengthen national security.
The President took action to save 74 coal power plants from crushing restrictions that would have forced them to shut down. In February, Trump announced that the Tennessee Valley Authority is taking action to save two more plants in Tennessee.
An executive order strengthened and secured the electric grid, preserving 17,000 megawatts of capacity — enough electricity to supply power to 12.75 million homes — from being forced offline. Trump also signed executive orders to expand nuclear capacity through regulatory reforms aimed at accelerating the deployment of advanced reactors for AI data center use.
Trump also launched “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan” in July 2025 to address energy bottlenecks by streamlining infrastructure permitting, modernizing the grid, and increasing domestic energy capacity.
In January 2026, the National Energy Dominance Council intervened in the PJM power market, a move expected to drive the single-largest development of power plants in U.S. history while ensuring hyperscaler companies pay for associated costs.
The Ratepayer Protection Pledge marks a first step toward ensuring the American workforce benefits from the developing AI industry, the White House stated.