News of the Day March 6, 2026
White House Unveils Ratepayer Protection Pledge Tied to Data Centers

President Trump on March 4 brought AI companies and hyperscalers together to sign the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, “ensuring they protect Americans from electricity price hikes due to data center energy requirements now and in the long run, take action to further strengthen the grid, and ensure that all Americans benefit from the oncoming technological boom,” the White House said.

Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.

The hyperscalers promised three specific things that will help protect other electric ratepayers:
•    Paying for New Power Supply: Companies will build, bring, or buy “new or otherwise additive” generation resources to satisfy—or more than satisfy—their energy needs.
•    Paying for Infrastructure Upgrades: Companies will pay for all new infrastructure upgrades, including adequate network upgrade costs, required to serve their data centers.
•    Paying Whether or Not They Use the Power: Companies will voluntarily negotiate new, separate rate structures for data centers, and pay those rates for power and related infrastructure “whether they use the electricity or not.”

The hyperscalers also promised to invest in local job creation and workforce development and to coordinate with grid operators to contribute to a more reliable grid (including by making backup generation available, if possible, during scarcity).