U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and two colleagues said Big Tech firms responding to their inquiry on data-center electricity costs pledged to pay more. However, the companies stopped short of detailing how they would prevent households from footing the bill for grid upgrades. https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-senators-secure-new-commitments-from-big-tech-on-electricity-costs-but-companies-dodge-accountability-for-hiking-families-utility-bills The disagreement comes at a fraught time for utilities and lawmakers. Electricity demand is surging in parts of the country as firms scramble to construct data centers powering artificial intelligence, or AI — software that identifies patterns from massive data sets. Meanwhile, consumer power bills remain a hot-button issue ahead of November’s U.S. congressional elections.