Many people have to pay more for electricity because of AI

Even without AI, many American households are still paying higher electricity bills due to the proliferation of energy-hungry data centers.

AI is causing electricity prices in the US to skyrocket. Photo: Bloomberg .

Artificial intelligence (AI) is having an impact far beyond the people who use it. According to a recent report by The Washington Post , the cost of operating AI systems, especially large-scale data centers, is unintentionally driving up electricity bills in many residential areas in the US.

Data centers that support AI and cloud computing require a lot of electricity to operate. While not everyone uses the technology directly, many people in cities with data center infrastructure still face significant increases in living costs.

In Trenton, for example, the average household electricity bill has increased by $26 per month. It has increased by $17 in Philadelphia, $10 in Pittsburgh, and $27 in Columbus, largely because increased demand for power from data centers has strained the local grid, forcing providers to adjust prices.

According to Mr. Abe Silverman, an energy market expert, the entire United States is witnessing great pressure on both transmission and electricity generation costs.

These data centers are built by leading technology corporations such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta. Meanwhile, people are upset about having to pay more for energy while the technology giants continue to make huge profits.

Some states like Ohio have begun to address this by requiring tech companies to contribute to the modernization of the power grid, which is needed to meet the growing demands of digital infrastructure.

For their part, some businesses like Google have pledged to build data centers that run on 100% carbon-free energy by 2030. If done on schedule, this could help reduce energy costs and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

However, experts say it is still too early to determine the long-term impact on people's electricity bills. The reason comes from the fact that electricity market variables also depend on many other factors such as weather, supply and regulatory policies.

Source: https://znews.vn/ai-khien-gia-dien-tang-vot-post1573448.html