AUBURN HILLS, MI — Spurred by the rise of artificial intelligence and cloud computing, Michigan faces the prospect of multiple new data centers sucking more electricity from the power grid than all the homes in its largest cities.

The potential for a data center boom means a new age for Michigan utilities, as for the first time in decades they are courting projects bringing massive jumps in demand to fuel Big Tech’s AI arms race.

“One of the biggest changes over five years ago is really that we’re in an era that we’re seeing potential load growth, and that can be a good thing, but that can also be a bad thing,” said Dan Scripps, the state’s top energy regulator and chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission.

That tension was on full display at Oakland Community College on Monday,

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