Electricity prices are surging, voters are growing angry, and the artificial intelligence industry's data centers are increasingly a target for blame with U.S. mid-term elections on the horizon.

Residential utility bills rose 6% on average nationwide in August compared with the same period in the previous year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The reasons for price increases are often complex and vary by region. But in at least three states with high concentrations of data centers, electric bills climbed much faster than the national average during that period. Prices, for example, surged by 13% in Virginia, 16% in Illinois and 12% in Ohio.

The tech companies and AI labs are building data centers that consume a gigawatt or more of electricity in some cases, e

See Full Page