Microsoft assures consumers won't pay for data centres

Microsoft's president has assured that the electricity costs for its data centres won't be passed on to household users.

As reported by Business Insider, the tech giant submitted applications for 44 data centres across the country by 2024.

This announcement comes amid criticism over rising energy costs and President Donald Trump's affordability initiative.

As opposition to data centres grows stronger across the country, Microsoft claims it has a strategy.

"We'll pay our way to ensure our datacenters don't increase your electricity prices," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, wrote in a blog post one day after President Trump said in a Truth Social post that he does not want Americans to "pick up the tab" for data centre electricity costs. Microsoft, he said, was "first up."

The statement appears during an extraordinary surge in data centre construction throughout the US. 

Developers submitted applications for 1,240 data centres by 2024 in the US—about four times the number recorded in 2010.

This has raised worries over increased consumer electricity bills and local pushback against construction projects.

In recent months, Trump has floated several measures aimed at easing financial pressure on households. In December, he announced a $1,776 “warrior dividend” for US soldiers.