The use of ChatGPT and similar tools caused a digital revolution in our daily lives.
But it is now clear that the impact of AI on our lives is not only in improving images or emails but also leaves a painful and tangible mark on the wallets of citizens in the United States and likely soon in other parts of the world.
The reason is that operating various AI services requires energy, electricity and in increasing amounts.
The result is that data centers, which are growing at a dizzying pace, accelerate the energy crisis and drive wholesale electricity prices to record levels.
An analysis of wholesale electricity price data in the United States, conducted by Bloomberg in collaboration with Grid Status and DC Byte, reveals a dramatic picture in areas near major data center activity, the wholesale price jumped in one month by up to 267% compared to five years earlier.
Global spending on data centers is expected to exceed 500 billion dollars in 2025, up from 400 billion dollars in 2024. Growth is primarily driven by AI energy demand.
If data centers currently consume between 1% and 3% of the world’s electricity, they are expected to consume over 4% of global electricity by 2035.
An increase of 1% may seem minor, but it represents a huge change in the consumption mix that will affect energy prices worldwide.
For example, the largest electricity grid operator and regulator in the United States, PJM Interconnection, saw its capacity prices rise sharply from 28.92 dollars per megawatt day (MW-day) in 2024-25 to 269.92 dollars for 2025-2026 an increase of almost nine times and expected to reach 329.17 dollars in 2026-2027.
The impact on consumers is clear a sharp rise in energy costs.
However, the U.S. market may be less sophisticated than in some other countries worldwide. According to Bloomberg analysis, more than 70% of the points where wholesale price increases were recorded are located within 50 miles of significant data center activity.
Major data centers are concentrated in central regions and key metropolitan areas.
Most of the load is expected if these centers are upgraded, as planned, in cities that are already heavy electricity consumers.
Immediate impact on households
In the United States, rising wholesale electricity prices, mainly caused by the massive electricity demand of data centers, are passed directly to consumers, creating a significant increase in costs for all population groups.
For example, in Baltimore, residents are already experiencing high living costs and an additional average increase of more than 17 dollars per month on electricity bills.
Prices are expected to rise by another 4 dollars on average per bill from mid-2026.
In the United States alone, electricity consumption by data centers is expected to double by 2035, reaching nearly 9% of total national demand the largest surge in energy demand since the 1960s, when air conditioning became widespread.
The new energy crisis creates growing political tension.
Governors in states under PJM, such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, express increasing concern and call for reform in pricing and cost allocation for infrastructure.
Experts warn that the demand requires building power plants and network infrastructure at a pace that is not possible within the timelines required for data center construction.
The developing gap raises concerns not only about rising prices but also about potential brownouts in electricity markets.
Banks estimate that to prevent collapse, technology companies will need to combine private investments in power generation, direct supply agreements and reliance on international markets.
At the same time, regulators and legislators in the United States, such as in Oregon, have begun promoting legislation to ensure that large electricity consumers, like data centers, pay a fair price for the infrastructure they require, thereby reducing the burden on households.