U.S. President Trump is set to gather top executives from the tech sector at the White House next week to sign a voluntary pledge, compelling participating companies to shoulder the electricity expenses of their energy-intensive data centers. Executives from Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet—Google’s parent company—are anticipated to join the March 4 meeting. Although the pledge lacks legal enforceability, the administration aims to foster a sense of accountability, thereby easing public concerns over environmental harm and escalating electricity bills linked to data center expansion. This initiative is viewed as part of Trump’s pre-midterm election strategy to tackle surging electricity prices, with the November elections on the horizon.

Data centers have increasingly come under fire for their substantial consumption of electricity and water, sparking widespread public dissent. Trump had earlier vowed to slash electricity prices by half, a promise that remains unfulfilled. While some companies have expressed support for the pledge, critics contend that its non-binding nature renders it ineffective, instead advocating for measures to boost electricity supply. Notably, the Trump administration has already rolled back subsidies for renewable energy and put a halt to offshore wind farm projects. Trump first floated this idea during his State of the Union address, also urging grid operators to conduct emergency electricity auctions to address the issue.