Filenews 9 December 2025
In the United States, industries that depend on stable, affordable, and abundant energy are faced with an unpredictable competitor: data centers. The rapid expansion of the infrastructure needed for artificial intelligence, cloud storage, and the digitalization of the economy is creating a new power map in the energy sector – one that threatens to marginalize traditional industries.
As electricity demand grows at rates that regulators had not anticipated, steel companies, aluminium producers, and energy-intensive industries fear being sidelined, paying higher prices or even facing difficulties accessing new power loads. Planned investments in new data centers – in some areas, multiplying at a rate of more than 300% compared to five years ago – are creating unprecedented competition for available energy volumes.
The tension is particularly acute in states such as Virginia, Texas, Georgia and Arizona, where local authorities and energy companies admit that grid expansion plans are not sufficient to meet the needs of industry and massive-scale cloud infrastructure at the same time. In some regions, delays in connecting new production units can exceed seven years – a development that is a deterrent to new energy-intensive investments, at a time when the US is seeking to bring industrial production back home.
Tech companies, for their part, argue that data centers are critical infrastructure of the modern economy – essential for the development of artificial intelligence, cloud services, and cybersecurity. They also note that they contribute significantly to local development, creating highly skilled jobs and attracting billions in investment. At the same time, they are committed to investing in renewable energy sources or energy compensation models.
However, industrial firms point out that, even if tech giants invest in green energy, the reality remains: data centers absorb huge loads from the existing grid, often during peak periods. The difference is that they have much greater bargaining power, closing long-term contracts at high prices, which raise energy costs overall. This imbalance threatens to further increase the price of electricity for generating units operating with very low profit margins.
Imbalance
Data center energy consumption in the U.S. is expected to double by 2030, according to estimates by power grid operators. On the contrary, the growth of production capacity remains slow, due to delays in permitting, reactions to new gas pipelines and the slow development of transmission networks. The imbalance between demand and available power is thus becoming more and more pronounced.
In Arizona, major industries complain that new energy supplies for factories are essentially "on hold" because the grid prioritizes the needs of data center infrastructure, which has committed huge amounts of power for years to come. In Virginia, applications for network expansion are almost exclusively linked to data centers, which increases the difficulties of rapidly setting up new manufacturing units in the manufacturing industry.
Some states are already considering regulatory interventions: special pricing mechanisms for data centers, obligations to invest in new power plants, or even prioritizing energy-intensive industries in grid connection applications. However, such measures are likely to provoke legal reactions and affect investor sentiment.
At the same time, the issue has begun to acquire political dimensions. The narrative of a "renaissance of American industry" contradicts Big Tech's need for exponential computing power. The government is seeking to accelerate investment in energy infrastructure, but the timing of implementation remains an obstacle: new natural gas plants or large renewable energy (RES) installations require years to be licensed and built, while the expansion of high-voltage grids often meets with fierce reactions.
Meanwhile, the industry is seeing the cost of energy rise. In some states, prices for large consumers have risen by 15%-30% compared to last year – a development that may discourage new units from installing new units or lead to relocations. The collapse of large aluminium and steel production projects in previous years serves as a reminder of how vulnerable these industries are to increases in energy costs.
For their part, data centers are attempting to reduce reactions by investing in new energy storage technologies, the use of renewable sources and – in some cases – the creation of privately owned power plants. But even if these solutions work, the reality is that their energy needs are increasing at a rate that exceeds any historical precedent.
Zero sum
Energy analysts warn that without a concerted effort to boost production capacity, the conflict of interest between industry and data centers will intensify. Artificial intelligence and the computational loads that come with it are now becoming a decisive factor in shaping the energy market.
The final question remains open: can the US simultaneously support a revival of its industrial base and the rapid growth of the digital economy? Or will the battle for energy turn the equation into a zero-sum game? The only thing that is certain is that the rise of data centers has begun to reshape not only the energy system, but also the future of American industry.
Adaptation – Editing: George D. Pavlopoulos
