Who is Really Paying for the Data Center Boom?

The booming AI industry is consuming more and more power with each data center springing up across the United States. The surge in power demand necessitates grid upgrades and expansions in the energy infrastructure.  But the costs are not allocated fairly, and households end up picking up the bill. Among residents, the costs are also disproportionately distributed, with the heaviest burden falling on rural and lower-income households, Cornell University researchers say.    This week, Cornell researchers published a study in…