Power Before Code: The Energy Constraints Reshaping AI Infrastructure

Every week brings another AI announcement, another data center project, another promise about what's possible with enough compute. But there's a constraint most people in tech aren't talking about yet - power. In this episode of Eventual Consistency, Ross Katz sits down with Mickey Peters, former energy executive and Vistage Chair, who spent decades running major power operations across South America for Duke Energy, managing over $1 billion in capital employed.  The conversation starts with two converging stories: hyperscalers like Meta, Google, and Microsoft building private power generation to bypass grid constraints - one West Texas project consuming more electricity than all of Chicago - and cities like Denver hitting pause on data center development altogether. The bottleneck isn't capital. It isn't technology. It's whether the electricity exists where you need it, and whether communities will let you build there. Ross and Mickey break down how the major cloud players are each taking radically different approaches to solving the energy problem, from Meta's gas-powered megacampus in Louisiana, to Google's acquisition of an in-house renewable energy developer, to Microsoft reactivating Three Mile Island. They dig into why there's no one-size-fits-all solution, and what the real trade-offs look like between partnering with local utilities versus going behind the meter with your own generation. But the most underappreciated challenge isn't technical, it's human. Mickey draws on his experience managing energy infrastructure in remote Andean communities to explain why community trust is ultimately what makes or breaks a data center project. He unpacks what those conversations between hyperscalers, local regulators, utilities, and communities actually look like, why NIMBYism is more nuanced than a single objection, and what companies consistently get wrong when they show up to make their case. About the hosts Ross Katz brings a background in analytics and data strategy, working with companies to cut through the noise and focus on what actually drives business value. With experience spanning industries such as e-commerce, education, biotech, and finance, as well as the evolving landscape of AI-enabled work, he focuses on the intersection of data capabilities and business outcomes. He's particularly interested in how shifts in technology change not just what's possible, but how people think about and use data in their daily work. Mickey Peters is an entrepreneur and executive coach who helps leaders build stronger teams, make better decisions, and grow profitability through his Houston Vistage peer advisory group. He brings decades of international leadership experience, including 20+ years living and working in Latin America, and senior roles at Duke Energy. Connect with us:  Sponsor: CorrDyn, a data consultancyConnect with Ross Katz on LinkedIn Connect with Mickey Peters LinkedIn