Microsoft makes 5 promises to everyone in America: We will ensure your electricity bill does not increase and 4 more
Microsoft has unveiled a five-point plan to address growing public anger over AI data centers, promising Americans that its massive infrastructure buildout won’t jack up their power bills or drain their water supplies.The announcement came Tuesday after the US President Donald Trump called out the tech giant on Truth Social, saying Microsoft would be “first up” among Big Tech companies to commit to keeping utility costs down for everyday households. “I never want Americans to pay higher Electricity bills because of Data Centers,” Trump wrote Monday night. Microsoft President Brad Smith acknowledged the backlash head-on. “When I visit communities around the country, people have questions—pointed questions,” Smith said at an event in Great Falls, Virginia. “We are at a moment of time when we need to listen.”
Microsoft will ask utilities to charge it more for electricity
The company’s first commitment is perhaps its boldest. Microsoft says it will work with utility companies and state commissions to set electricity rates high enough to cover the full cost of powering its data centers. The goal is to prevent those costs from trickling down to residential customers who never asked for an AI revolution in their backyard.
Data centers will replenish more water than they consume
Water usage has been a flashpoint for data center opponents. Microsoft is promising to return more water to local communities than its facilities withdraw. In Phoenix, for instance, the company has partnered with municipalities to find and fix leaks in aging pipe systems.
Construction and operations jobs go to local residents first
Microsoft is teaming up with North America’s Building Trades Unions to train workers in regions where data centers are being built. The company also plans to expand its Datacenter Academy program through local community colleges for ongoing operations roles.
No asking for property tax breaks from local governments
Most big corporations haggle for tax breaks when they roll into town. Microsoft says it won’t. The company is committing to pay full property taxes wherever it builds. In Quincy, Washington — a small agricultural community where Microsoft opened its first data center back in 2008 — county tax revenues have jumped from $60 million to over $180 million. That money helped the town open a new 54,000-square-foot medical center last year while rural hospitals elsewhere were shutting down.
Free AI training for schools, libraries, and small businesses
Microsoft is pledging to partner with K-12 schools, community colleges, and local libraries to provide AI literacy training. Small businesses will also get access to AI tools and workforce development resources.The promises come after Microsoft scrapped a data center project in Caledonia, Wisconsin last October following intense community opposition. Hundreds of residents in Michigan also turned out Monday night to protest another proposed Microsoft facility.
