While the proliferation of information facilities designed to meet the computational demands of AI may seem like a boon, it could actually pose a significant threat to the US energy grid.

According to data from Whisker Labs’ network of over 1 million residential sensors and market insights from DC Byte, Bloomberg found that more than half of households experiencing significant energy disruptions are located within a 20-mile radius of major data center operations.

A perceived correlation exists between the proximity of a knowledge hub and “unhealthy harmonics,” a term describing suboptimal electromagnetic flow patterns affecting residential areas.

According to Bloomberg, the distorted energy may have devastating consequences, including the potential destruction of plugged-in home appliances, increased susceptibility to electrical fires, and even widespread power outages in the form of brownouts and blackouts. But AI infrastructure’s reliance on high-risk energy sources poses significant concerns.

“Notably, no grid system is engineered to accommodate such significant load fluctuations, let alone simultaneously across multiple knowledge centers,” said Bloom Power’s Chief Business Officer, Aman Joshi.

Commonwealth Edison’s spokesperson questioned the accuracy and underlying assumptions of Whisker Lab’s findings in an interview with Bloomberg.