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.

Americans are worried about how these power-hungry facilities might impact their utility bills and the use of land, water, and other natural resources in the region.

Anthropic said it will bring new power generation and add grid capacity to meet its data centers’ electricity needs, rather than buying credits or contracting for existing capacity.

Where new power generation isn’t online, the company will work with utilities and external experts to estimate and offset demand-driven price effects from its data centers, Anthropic added.

These measures are similar to Microsoft’s efforts introduced last month, when the cloud giant said it would pay utility rates high enough to cover its power costs and work with local utilities to expand supply when needed for its data centers.

Anthropic said on Wednesday it is also investing in research catered to reducing its data centers’ power usage as well as grid optimization tools.

The company will also work with local leaders on measures such as supporting education programs and working with small businesses.