In states like Ohio and Georgia, critics have also raised concerns that utilities might make expensive new grid investments to prepare for future data centers that never materialize — either because the technology changes or the A.I. bubble bursts. “We’re spending billions and billions of dollars to modernize and expand the grid, and the question is, who’s paying for that?” said Abe Silverman, an energy researcher at Johns Hopkins University. “Are the big tech firms paying? Or is Grandma going to be left holding the bag?”

Why Tech Firms Are Working With Trump on Data Centers and Energy Costs

The White House has floated a new plan to try to ease voter concerns over the A.I. boom’s effect on electric bills. But it won’t be easy to put into practice.

By Brad Plumer

Reporting from Washington