Big Take: AI data centers use a lot of energy. You may be paying for it

Zero: The Climate Race

Bloomberg

Technology, Business, Science

4.7 • 219 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

AI needs a lot of energy — and a new Bloomberg investigation has found that those soaring costs are being passed on to consumers who live near data centers.

On today’s Big Take podcast, host David Gura talks to Bloomberg reporters Josh Saul and Leonardo Nicoletti about the AI boom’s impact on power bills, how utility companies are handling surging demand and the implications for communities with centers in their backyards.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Stephen Carroll.
0:02.0	And I'm Caroline Hepka here to introduce you to a podcast that brings you the news you need to start your day in just 15 minutes.
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1:00.9	Hi, it's Akshad. Data centers for artificial intelligence consume huge amounts of energy. They also happen to raise electricity prices for people living close to those data centers.
1:13.3	That's according to an investigation from my colleagues at Bloomberg News looking at US data centers
1:18.9	that you can hear about in this episode of the Big Take podcast.
1:22.9	Hope you find it insightful.
1:24.7	Zero will be back later this week with a new episode.
1:30.3	Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News.
1:35.3	Hey, Mr. Stanley, how you doing?
1:36.9	Great. How are you doing? I'm good. So I'm Josh. We talked on the phone.
1:40.0	Earlier this month, Bloomberg reporter Josh Saul visited a man named Kevin Stanley.
	...

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