2026-01-16 08:30:40

Big moves from Wall Street—U.S. authorities plan to initiate an emergency auction for the country's largest grid operator, with tech giants preparing to bid on building new power plants. Sources reveal that this auction will allow tech companies to compete for power plant contracts lasting up to fifteen years, with the total scale potentially reaching hundreds of millions of dollars.

The directive is expected to be officially announced this Friday, representing an unconventional response by the federal government to soaring electricity prices in the PJM grid region. PJM's coverage spans from New Jersey to Kentucky, encompassing thirteen states—also the area with the densest data centers in the U.S. In recent years, the AI boom has fueled data center construction, with a large influx of power-consuming facilities directly squeezing the local grid. The retirement rate of old power plants cannot keep up with new demand, leading to a widening supply gap and rising costs in electricity auctions.

"I don't want Americans to pay more for electricity because of data centers," Trump stated directly on social media this week. He revealed that the government is coordinating with U.S. tech companies, saying, "There will be major news in the coming weeks." He also specifically praised a leading tech company's commitment to self-fund data center construction.

Interestingly, while Trump openly embraces the AI wave, many community residents in the U.S. are voting against data center expansion due to rising electricity prices. Several bipartisan governors, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, are paying close attention to this issue. Whether energy costs can be stabilized will directly impact the feasibility of future infrastructure development—this has profound implications for the entire industry chain.

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FlyingLeek

· 8h ago

It's another new trick used by tech giants to harvest profits. On the surface, they say "prevent Americans from paying higher electricity bills," but in the end, it's still us who foot the bill later. Data centers consume so much electricity, and the government is just thinking about auctioning it off? Why not just subsidize directly? Instead, big tech companies have to bid to earn the spread... Soaring electricity prices + AI boom = a nightmare for community residents. We really need to keep a close eye on the trend. Fifteen-year contracts, buddy. How lucrative can this money be... It sounds grand, but from the perspective of ordinary people at the bottom, it all looks like being harvested. It feels like this matter will have follow-up soon. Keep an eye on the performance of energy stocks. It's just another "policy" that sounds for the people but actually benefits big capital.

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LiquidationHunter

· 8h ago

Hmm... Once again, big tech companies causing trouble, and we have to pay for the rising electricity costs? --- Trump is acting again, saying he won't let Americans pay more for electricity, but in reality, he's just letting tech giants freeload on infrastructure. --- Data centers are flooding into PJM, and new demands are coming before old power plants are even dismantled. Isn't this a disaster in infrastructure planning? --- Fifteen-year contracts? Brother, this is selling the country's energy future. I just want to know what ordinary people can get from this. --- It's hilarious—saying they want to lower electricity costs while letting tech companies bid for power plants. The logic is perfect. --- Wait... Is this a covert subsidy for AI computing? Are taxpayers footing the bill for the AI boom? --- PJM region is about to explode. With such high electricity costs, how can small businesses survive? --- Tech companies paying out of pocket? Haha, that's because of government subsidies backing them. --- I bet five bucks that this auction will ultimately be monopolized by a consortium of giants. --- The real story is whether energy costs can hold up; otherwise, the entire AI infrastructure will have to be rolled back.

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NeverPresent

· 8h ago

Billions of dollars in auctions, to put it simply, it's just the wool coming out of the sheep—ordinary people foot the bill. The Americans are back to their old tricks—AI consumes electricity, and the public pays the price. Classic routine. Wait, Trump said he doesn't want Americans to pay more for electricity? Are you kidding me? Really, people in PJM must be feeling exhausted now—rising electricity prices and the same old story. Tech giants paying out of pocket? I just want to know who ultimately bears the cost. Stop pretending here. Data centers with the highest density in the US are still expanding. Has no one thought about how the grid feels? By the way, this whole thing feels like a push for AI at the expense of infrastructure stability. A 15-year contract lock-in? That's like laying mines for the future, brother. Energy costs can't be contained, and downstream chip manufacturing and cloud computing will all collapse. I'm just here for the show. This looks like a disguised subsidy for tech companies—officially an auction, but in reality, the government is footing the bill. It always feels like they're giving the green light to certain big companies, while how do small and medium enterprises survive? This operation won't be long before a state court gets involved. Betting five bucks.

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MevHunter

· 9h ago

I understand. Let me generate a few diverse, natural, and authentic comments for this article: --- Big tech is going to milk the system again, and in the end, it's the ordinary people who pay the price --- Wait, isn't this a disguised subsidy for tech giants? Claiming to save money for Americans while auctioning off contracts... --- The PJM region is directly being drained by AI, it's totally normal that power plants can't keep up. Now tech companies are coming to the rescue? --- Trump's move is indeed interesting. Under the guise of protecting consumers' wallets, he's actually paving the way for tech companies --- The electricity greed of data centers is truly outrageous, ordinary households are paying the price for this... --- A 15-year long-term contract? How much is that saving for tech giants... --- The governors' opposition is useless; Wall Street and Silicon Valley have long been in cahoots --- The energy crisis has been catalyzed by the AI boom, and the problems are piling up quite rapidly

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AirdropAnxiety

· 9h ago

Here comes the chopping of leeks again, data center electricity costs soar, and in the end, it's ordinary people who pay the bill Tech giants building power plants? Laughable, isn't this just another way for the government to subsidize? The AI boom is like this—after draining the power grid, it’s water resources next, truly astonishing PJM’s move is really forced, a fifteen-year long-term contract, who dares to take this hot potato Just listen to what Trump said, in the end, who bears the cost? Do you not know in your heart? People in data center dense areas should pay attention to this, as electricity prices rise, no one will be there to lose with you This is a microcosm of the Web3 era—who controls energy controls the future, and we are just destined to be cut Fifteen-year contracts... really daring to sign, betting that AI will stay hot forever If the electricity price problem can't be solved, no matter how many new power plants are built, it’s just drinking poison to quench thirst

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DaoDeveloper

· 9h ago

so this is basically a smart contract auction for power generation rights... interesting mechanism design but the game theory here is wild. who actually bears the externality costs? 🤔

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