H.R. 9372 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Jun 18, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summarySets standards for measuring data center energy use
Data centers—the massive computer facilities that power the internet—use a lot of energy and water, and right now there's no standard way to measure exactly how much. This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal agency that creates technical standards, to develop best practices and tools for measuring the energy and water consumption of data centers. This includes measuring how much energy is used when training artificial intelligence models. NIST will also research ways to improve these measurements and work with other agencies and countries to make sure everyone's using the same standards.
How it affects you
This doesn't directly change your daily life, but it matters for the people and companies running data centers. By creating clearer ways to measure energy and water use, the bill helps data center operators understand their consumption better and find ways to use less. That could eventually lead to more efficient internet services and reduced environmental impact, though the summary doesn't spell out specific benefits for individual people.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Jun 18, 2026)
Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act
This bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to carry out a program to inform the development of best practices, technical standards, and other resources for measuring workloads and energy and water use of data centers, including measurements relating to training and processing of artificial intelligence models.
Specifically, NIST must
• develop or identify best practices and other resources for such measurements, taking into account specified factors such as workload type and system configuration;
• conduct research and testing to improve the accuracy, timeliness, and reliability of such measurements;
• study data needs for energy and water demand forecasting and other research; and
• support the development of standardized metrics and data sharing mechanisms to promote improved energy and water demand forecasting.
Further, NIST must coordinate with the Department of Energy to ensure applicable metrics and data are managed and archived appropriately and promote open exchange of metrics and data as appropriate. NIST must also coordinate with international partners to maintain global data center energy measurement standards.
Finally, NIST must periodically brief Congress on the program.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionH. R. 9372
A BILL
Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act
Sponsor: Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) · Introduced Jun 18, 2026 · Science, Technology, Communications · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jun 25, 2026: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 34 - 1.”