The US Department of Energy announced Thursday a $1.9 billion investment across 31 projects in 26 states aimed at extracting more capacity from the country's ageing electricity grid, which is under growing strain from the rapid expansion of AI data centres. Using technologies such as real-time weather sensors and smart routing systems, the upgrades are projected to add over 23 gigawatts of capacity — enough to power 16 million homes — while improving reliability for around 100 million Americans. Funded through the bipartisan infrastructure law passed under former President Biden and matched by $3.35 billion in private cost-sharing, the investments come as electricity bills rise faster than inflation and warnings mount that new data centres are coming online faster than the grid can accommodate them.