Federal regulators have agreed to let large energy users connect more quickly to the nation’s inefficient and aging electric transmission system to accommodate surging demand from power-hungry artificial intelligence data centers. Members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to direct six regional grid operators to ensure that AI data centers and other large power users are “able to connect to the transmission system in a timely and orderly manner.” Those operators serve 200 million Americans. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had urged the commission to help the United States better compete with China for superiority in the fast-growing AI sector.