US Acts to Accelerate Power Grid Hook-Ups for AI Data Centers

US regulators have taken their biggest step yet to speed the connection of data centers to the country’s grids while simultaneously attempting to slow surging utility bills that have angered Americans.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a series of orders Thursday tailored to the country’s power grids in a bid to remove bottlenecks that had risked slowing the AI boom. The aim is to handle requests for power within 90 days, which would be a dramatic acceleration of a process that currently can take years.

The fast-tracking will come with tradeoffs for AI hyperscalers. Under the ...