Georgia is in the middle of a quiet but profound transformation. Across the state, massive data centers are rising from former farmland and industrial corridors. These facilities power cloud storage, video streaming, cryptocurrency operations, and increasingly, artificial intelligence. And they are also becoming one of the largest new drivers of electricity demand in Georgia.

The rapid expansion has sparked a rare moment of bipartisan concern in the General Assembly. Lawmakers are debating a range of bills addressing data centers, including moratorium proposals, regulatory reforms, and changes to tax incentives. Among them is Senate Bill 34 (SB 34), which focuses on a deceptively simple but consequential question: who pays for the electricity infrastructure required to serve these facilities?