Good morning. The AI buildout is becoming an inflation story: chips, laptops and electricity are getting more expensive, Meta's Louisiana campus has ballooned to $50 billion, and Washington wants a pledge that households will not bankroll the power boom. The bill is getting real.
Top Stories
AI BUILDOUT HITS LAPTOPS, POWER BILLS AND THE FED
Associated Press
More than $700 billion in data-center investment is lifting chip and electricity prices, adding inflation pressure that could push the Federal Reserve toward another rate increase.
META'S LOUISIANA DATA CENTER BALLOONS TO $50 BILLION
The Wall Street Journal
The Hyperion campus is expanding to 5 GW of computing capacity, with Entergy projecting total power demand above 7 GW.
WHITE HOUSE SEEKS NEW PLEDGE TO SHIELD RATEPAYERS FROM AI
Reuters
Utilities and data-center developers are expected to join a voluntary commitment that AI infrastructure costs will not be shifted onto existing customers.
BIG TECH BORROWS $350B TO KEEP THE AI BUILDOUT MOVING
Los Angeles Times
Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Oracle doubled their combined debt in five years as this year's AI infrastructure commitments climb toward $725 billion.
FARMERS BECOME DATA CENTERS' NEWEST FOE
The Wall Street Journal
Rural resistance is growing as farmers and ranchers challenge projects competing for agricultural land, water and electricity.
Power & Grid
PJM BREAKS A 20-YEAR POWER-DEMAND RECORD
S&P Global Commodity Insights
The 13-state grid hit an estimated 168.158 GW during the heat wave, topping a record that had stood since August 2006.
PERMITTING DEAL RUNS INTO AN AUGUST DEADLINE
E&E News
Advocates warn senators are running out of time for a bipartisan overhaul as negotiators struggle with an August-recess goal and midterm-year politics.
SOLAR COSTS JUMP 18%, STILL AMONG THE CHEAPEST
pv magazine USA
Lazard puts unsubsidized utility-scale solar at $40 to $98/MWh as tariffs, interest rates and supply-chain pressure push costs higher.
STATES LOOK TO TURN ABANDONED OIL WELLS INTO CLEAN POWER
Financial Times
Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Texas are among the states pursuing laws to reuse suitable wells for geothermal energy and storage instead of simply plugging them.
DOE SAYS AMERICA NEEDS FAR MORE POWER BETWEEN REGIONS
Utility Dive
A draft federal study calls for 120 GW more interregional transfer capacity by 2035 and as much as 655 GW by 2040 in its highest-build case.
Data Centers
STATES FIGHT TO KEEP AI FROM DERAILING CLEAN-ENERGY TARGETS
Associated Press
New York is considering a 90% renewable requirement for large data centers while Michigan, Minnesota and Oregon have already tied new loads to state climate goals.
GEORGIA PROBES WHETHER DATA CENTERS SHIFT FUEL COSTS TO HOMES
WABE
Regulators will examine Georgia Power's large-customer pricing after advocates estimated nearly $1 billion in fuel costs may be shifted to smaller users.
DATA-CENTER ANGER TOPPLES COUNTY POLITICIANS
Maryland Matters
Frustration over proposed projects helped oust local candidates in last month's primaries, which observers call an early wave of a bipartisan voter backlash.
GOOGLE'S VIRGINIA CAMPUS COULD BECOME ITS THIRSTIEST
Cardinal News
The campus initially reserves up to 2 million gallons per day; a possible 8-million-gallon expansion would exceed every Google site's reported use.
STEELMAKER WARNS DATA CENTER COULD DESTABILIZE ITS POWER
Lewistown Sentinel
Standard Steel says a proposed 165-acre campus could threaten voltage stability for its electric arc furnace and push grid-upgrade costs onto others.
Stat of the Day
400%
Potential increase in some computer-memory chip prices
JPMorgan economists estimate the increase from 2024 through the end of this year as AI data centers absorb scarce supply.
Associated Press ↗