Microsoft on Tuesday promised that consumers won't pay more when the software maker sets up data centers nearby.
The company also committed to replenish more water than it uses, and to add to local tax bases in places where it has data centers.
"Our pledge to each of these communities is that we will pay our way as a company, to ensure that our data centers don't increase your electricity prices," Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and vice chair, said at an event held in Great Falls, Virginia, less than 20 miles from the White House.
The company will sign deals with utilities in advance, so they can afford to invest in infrastructure that can support new data centers, Smith said.
Smith made a similar statement in September in Racine, Wisconsin, near a company data center that's set to come online in early 2026.
"We will pay utility rates that are high enough to cover our electricity costs in part by collaborating with utilities on plans to add the electricity supply that we will need," Smith said.
The move comes as utility prices rise across the U.S., where technology companies are racing to build data centers that can run generative artificial intelligence models such as the ones that power OpenAI's popular ChatGPT assistant.