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AI data centers use a lot of electricity. How it could affect your power bill

By Keith Romer
Published January 2, 2026 at 1:50 AM PST

AI data centers require incredible amounts of energy to run. NPR's Planet Money investigates how that demand for power might affect your electric bills.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Keith Romer
Keith Romer has been a contributing reporter for Planet Money since 2015 and an editor since 2022. He has reported stories on risk-pooling among poker players, whether it's legal to write a spin-off of the children's book Goodnight Moon and the time one man cornered the American market in onions. Sometimes on the show, he sings.
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