LA Times: California's Electricity Prices — Roughly Double the US Industrial Average — Are Steering the AI Data Center Boom to Other States

A June 23 Los Angeles Times investigation finds California is being bypassed in the nationwide AI data center buildout because industrial electricity prices in the state run roughly double the national average, compounded by an organized anti-data-center movement and restrictive permitting. Developers are directing billions toward western states with cheaper power and simpler approval processes, accelerating a pattern where California retains AI headquarters and talent while exporting compute infrastructure—and grid strain—elsewhere.