AI data centers are pulling unprecedented electricity demand onto a grid that was not built for it, and the companies buying the power are increasingly paying for local infrastructure themselves. CNBC looks at how Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon are funding upgrades, and at SpaceXAI’s push to build off-grid plants for its own facilities.
The centerpiece is Google’s planned 780MW campus in Pine Island, Minnesota, where a proposed agreement with Xcel Energy would back 1,900MW of new wind, solar and battery capacity, with minimum payments and exit fees meant to shield local ratepayers if demand falls short.
