EP4: The Cost Beneath AI Power

The International Energy Agency just put a number on something most leaders are already paying for and almost none of them can see. AI data center electricity use jumped 50% in a single year. That cost doesn't stay in a data center, it lands in your renewal pricing, your usage caps, and the strategic bets you're about to make for 2027. This episode goes underneath the software layer to the physical one the whole thing depends on. In this episode: [00:00] Cold open: 50% surge in AI data center electricity in a single year [01:30] The pattern: why every AI query your team runs is a physical event somewhere [03:00] The IEA numbers: data center consumption doubling to 945 terawatt-hours by 2030 the equivalent of Japan's entire electricity grid [06:00] The investment signal: the five largest tech companies spent $400B on data center capex in 2025, projected to rise 75% by end of 2026 [08:00] What this means for your budget: renewal pricing, usage tiers, and the cost line most leaders haven't named yet [11:00] Why this stopped being a climate story and became a national infrastructure story [13:00] The rebound effect: per-task cost is falling, but total consumption only goes one direction once a tool gets embedded [15:00] Two questions every executive should sit with before approving the next AI line item If this reframed how you think about the AI tools you're buying, send it to one executive who's about to sign off on an AI budget. New episodes every week on Prompting Revenue. Connect with Brett: Join the Build AI Community: https://build.brettjansen.ai/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brettjansen  Work with Brett: brettjansen.ai