Three Democratic senators are ramping up pressure on major tech giants—Google, Microsoft and others—over surging electricity costs tied to data center expansion. The investigation centers on how massive computational infrastructure is driving power bills higher, raising concerns about energy consumption patterns.

This scrutiny reflects growing regulatory attention to the power demands of large-scale computing operations. Data centers running AI, cloud services, and other compute-intensive workloads have become major electricity consumers, prompting lawmakers to demand transparency about energy usage and grid impact.

The move signals potential regulatory headwinds for any infrastructure heavily reliant on data center operations, including blockchain and cryptocurrency networks. As governments worldwide increasingly scrutinize energy efficiency and sustainability, the focus on power consumption trends could shape future policy frameworks affecting the broader Web3 ecosystem and data-intensive industries.