Rep. Subramanyam Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Track AI and Data Center Energy Consumption
To direct the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop best practices for measuring data center energy use, study data availability for the purpose of improving energy demand forecasting capabilities, and for other purposes.
This bill is in the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. On June 24, 2026, the committee voted to approve the bill with changes. It is now waiting for the committee to officially report it to the full House for further action.
The bill has support from both parties and addresses a growing concern about AI energy use. However, many bills like this struggle to get a full vote in a busy schedule.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
NIST staff would gain new research responsibilities and funding under this program. The $10 million annual authorization could support new hires or expand the workload of existing measurement science researchers at the agency, though the number of affected employees would be small.
“The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall carry out a measurement research program”
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 34 - 1.
The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H4134)
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
U.S. Representatives Suhas Subramanyam, Jay Obernolte, and Valerie Foushee introduced the Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act to establish standardized methods for measuring energy and water consumption at data centers, aiming to improve infrastructure planning and transparency.
The House Science Committee is marking up the Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act (H.R. 9372), which encourages better tracking of energy and water use from AI data centers as demand skyrockets, potentially straining the electric grid and local water resources.
The Data Center Energy Measurement and Standards Act directs NIST to improve how data center energy and water use are measured and analyzed. The bill supports standardized metrics to better understand the resource demands of AI and advanced computing technologies.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
To direct the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop best practices for measuring data center energy use, study data availability for the purpose of improving energy demand forecasting capabilities, and for other purposes.
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