Electricity prices in the PJM grid region, the largest in the U.S., have surged by 76% over the past year, driven by increased demand from AI data centers. Monitoring Analytics reports that wholesale electricity prices rose to $136.53 per megawatt-hour, up from $77.78 last year. The demand spike, particularly in Northern Virginia's data center hub, has strained the grid's capacity, highlighting the U.S. power grid's struggle to meet AI-driven computational needs. The report criticizes PJM for delays in software upgrades and transparency issues, which have exacerbated the supply-demand imbalance. Despite resuming new generation project applications, PJM's capacity expansion lags behind demand growth. A recent PJM white paper proposing future grid pathways has not gained full support, with some utilities like AEP threatening to exit the system. Monitoring Analytics urges PJM to focus on addressing the immediate challenges posed by data center loads and internal inefficiencies.