Over the last few decades, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital tools have transformed how Americans live and work.
We benefit from these transformations — both the bigger changes we notice and the smaller changes we take for granted daily. We may not notice more efficient traffic lights thanks to AI, but we probably notice AI answering our iPhone searches all day long. Behind those conveniences are data centers powering each one.
Across the country, communities are debating whether new data centers should be built — and if so, where. Questions about land, energy, and water are understandable. Families want to know how these projects affect their monthly bills and neighborhoods.
The biggest worry? Electricity costs.
Americans feel the pressure of rising energy bills and can’t afford to pay more. That’s why it’s good news companies preparing our country for the AI future are increasingly committing to pay the full cost for electricity to power their facilities.
This is a win-win for us all. Everyday Americans rely on AI day in and day out.
Technology companies are investing billions in power infrastructure and grid upgrades so we don’t have to shoulder those costs. These investments protect ratepayers while allowing the United States to build the infrastructure needed for the next generation of innovation.
When I was growing up, it was all about factories to build and make American goods. Today, data centers are the factories. Their computing power fuels the digital conveniences we rely on today and will power the technological innovations of tomorrow.
When you store family photos in the cloud, use AI to help your child understand a math problem (or heck, to understand it yourself!), schedule a tele-health appointment, or receive a fraud alert from your bank, you’re relying on data centers. We need more of this power to keep up with innovation and consumer demand.
AI tools are already helping doctors detect breast cancer earlier, protect consumers from fraud, and help people with vision impairments navigate the world more independently.
Where we build this infrastructure matters. The next generation of technology will depend on low latency — which means, get the compute to the end point as fast as possible. Our computing power must be located close to users that rely on it.
A self-driving car cannot wait for data to travel across a state. A robotic system assisting a surgeon needs instant processing. Robotics, advanced manufacturing, and new AI-powered industries will depend on infrastructure located here, close to where the compute will actually be used.
America has always grown by building. Railroads connected the continent. Power grids electrified our homes. Highways linked our cities. The internet connected us at home and at work. Now we must build the infrastructure to power the next step of the digital age, making our lives better each step of the way.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is a retired United States Senator, Senior Advisor at Hogan Lovells, and Co-Chair of the AI Infrastructure Coalition.
