AI data centers at the center of the energy crisis: from Anthropic's commitments to protests in Oregon

Data centers have become a new arena of global confrontation: in order to build gigantic computing clusters, technology companies are paying not only with money, but with political capital, reputation, and the health of people living nearby. While billions of dollars are being invested in expanding AI infrastructure, legal battles, political discussions, and protests from local residents are unfolding around the world.

Political front. Seven major technology companies — including Google, Meta, and Microsoft — signed White House commitments to prevent utility rates from increasing due to data center construction. President Trump stated that companies will soon conclude direct deals to pay for their own power sources. Anthropic and OpenAI did not wait: both companies publicly announced that their facilities will independently cover electricity costs and limit water consumption. U.S. senators, in parallel, sent requests to energy agencies demanding official disclosure of actual electricity consumption data by data centers — information that remains largely unregulated to this day.

Engineering solutions. Microsoft is exploring the possibility of transitioning data centers to superconducting cables — this would simultaneously reduce the occupied area and lower energy losses. At the other end of the technology spectrum, Elon Musk announced a merger of SpaceX and xAI to build orbital data centers.

Skeptics doubt the feasibility of the idea, but the fact of discussion itself speaks to the scale of the shortage of terrestrial sites. A more pragmatic solution is already underway: data center consumption of natural gas reached record levels in 2025, and Google has openly included gas in its energy strategy. Instability in the Middle East and escalation of the Iranian conflict add uncertainty — experts warn that rising oil and gas prices will directly impact data center operating costs.

Public front. Local communities are becoming a serious political force. Oregon residents link rising cancer cases and miscarriage rates to the concentration of major data centers in the region.

Several communities have already achieved moratoriums on construction of new facilities. New York is considering two bills directly aimed at restraining AI industry growth. NAACP published guidelines for technology companies, demanding they consider local community interests when selecting sites.

Meta found itself at the center of several crises simultaneously. A winter storm tested the electrical grid in the region of its largest under-construction facility and raised uncomfortable questions about infrastructure reliability. The company responded with a large-scale PR campaign designed to convince the public that data centers bring more benefits than harm.

Based on the reaction of regulators and local residents, the task proved more difficult than anticipated.

The conclusion is not reassuring. Water and electricity consumption by data centers in 2025 rose sharply compared to previous years. Power grids, built to handle loads from the past decade, cannot keep up with the pace of AI industry growth. The question is no longer whether AI creates systemic risks for the energy sector — it does. The question is who will pay the bill: the companies themselves, ordinary consumers, or future generations who will inherit the strain on infrastructure and climate.