Scoop: Trump brings Big Tech to White House to curb power costs amid AI boom
EXCLUSIVE: Tech company leaders will head to the White House in March to meet with President Donald Trump to pledge they will generate their own power for new data centers, saving taxpayers from picking up additional energy costs, Fox News Digital learned.
"Major Tech companies will join President Trump at the White House next week to formally sign the Rate Payer Protection Pledge that he announced during his historic State of the Union address," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital Wednesday.
"Under this bold initiative, these massive companies will build, bring, or buy their own power supply for new AI data centers, ensuring that Americans’ electricity bills will not increase as demand grows," she added. "President Trump is committed to ensuring American AI dominance while simultaneously lowering costs for working families."
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Companies participating in the March 4 event will include Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI. Trump, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Michael Kratsios are leading the effort, Fox Digital learned.
The event follows Trump's announcement during his State of the Union speech Tuesday that the companies would produce their own energy for the data centers.
The Trump administration has promoted the proliferation of artificial intelligence to keep the U.S. as the world's tech leader, which has included the creation of new data centers and mounting concern energy prices could increase for everyday Americans as the centers open up shop.
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"Tonight, I'm pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new rate payer protection pledge," he said. "You know what that is? We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs."
"We have an old grid," he said. "It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that's needed. So I'm telling them, they can build their own plant. They're going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company's ability to get electricity, while at the same time, lowering prices of electricity for you."
A White House official told Fox Digital that the president and administration have been working on the initiative for a while, including Trump posting about the issue on Truth Social in January.
The companies will agree to protect Americans from price hikes and lower electricity prices in the long term, Fox Digital learned.
The event is expected to focus on cost-of-living concerns for Americans, with Trump underscoring the importance of America's tech leadership and future to expand AI and how it bolsters U.S. jobs, while ensuring Americans are protected from energy price increases.