Anthropic to shoulder some costs as data center expansions threaten to raise power bills

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic on Wednesday announced initiatives to limit the impact of data centers on consumer energy prices amid increased investment in power-hungry infrastructure necessary for AI tech.

Anthropic will cover all grid upgrade costs needed to connect its data centers by increasing its monthly ‌electricity charges, thereby ⁠preventing them ⁠from being passed on to consumers, the company said.

While Big Tech and ​political leaders across the U.S. are urging a rapid expansion of data-center ​capacity and new power production to keep the country competitive in AI, local communities are voicing concerns.