Will power-hungry data centers overwhelm the grid? With Fredrik Ellekjær and Victoria Fethke

Let’s Talk Energy and take a deep dive into data centers. Data centers have been around since the advent of the internet, but their buildout – and associated energy needs - have exploded over the past few years, driven by the race to develop ever-greater artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Governments are pushing AI progress and data sovereignty as a new front in the intensifying global industrial competition, and so-called hyperscalers are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into data center development, particularly in the US. However, fears of astronomical power demand swamping legacy grids and pushing up consumer prices, as well as general uncertainty over the pace and scope of the AI revolution, are complicating the outlook for the data center build-out. How much power will data centers really consume over the next five or ten years and where is that power most likely to come from?  How much could data centers developers spend, relative to oil and gas or power companies in the years ahead and how might that spending impact consumer prices?  Can data centers co-exist with the grid or are we more likely to see them put in their own dedicated power sources and associate infrastructure?  Related Analysis Putting things in perspective: Data center investments now on par with renewables, oil and gas (accessible to non-clients) US power demand rises as data centers spread but prices won’t peak until 2030 (accessible to non-clients) Rising data demand puts pressure on US energy grid, boosts gas projects (accessible to non-clients) Hyperscale data center boom is electrifying global UPS market (clients only)  Grid interconnection delays push European data centers to new power sources (clients only)  What do oilfield service suppliers bring to data center sector? (clients only)  Can nuclear and geothermal supply clean, firm power for data center demand boom? (clients only)  Can the energy industry step in to fix datacenters’ three key challenges? (clients only)  Data centers are driving demand, but are they moving power prices? (clients only)  Related Episodes Cheap no more: How rising demand is reshaping US natural gas, with Artem Abramov and Jai Singh How new tech is moving geothermal from niche to mainstream, with Alexandra Gerken Next-gen nuclear and the rise of SMRs, with Carlos Torres Diaz and Natura Resources' Douglass Robison Winners and losers in Trump’s energy agenda, with Mike McCormick Let’s Talk Energy is a Rystad Energy Production.    Produced by Laura Rodriguez Skaug &  Både Og.    Executive producers: Noah Brenner, Elliot Busby, Evodie Fleury-Greaker & Erik Means.    Follow us on:   LinkedIn    YouTube    Instagram    X