IA exhibits a strong desire for energy, and the firms behind the technology are endeavoring to establish nuclear reactors to supply its demands. However, constructing nuclear reactors is time-consuming, while the need for immense quantities of power will precede their completion by several years. So, what’s the source? In the U.S., it’s natural gas. The AI uprising will contribute considerably more carbon emissions to the environment.

A fresh report from the Financial Times highlighted the forthcoming expansion in natural gas. As global warming escalated, nations distanced themselves from pollutants like coal and natural gas. The American electrical grid was advancing in the shift towards renewable sources, and power production via gas had decelerated over the preceding half-decade.

The situation transformed in 2024, propelled by AI and data centers. As per the Financial Times, the dependency of the U.S. electrical grid on gas will escalate. The nation is projected to incorporate upwards of 80 additional gas power facilities by 2030, marking a 20% increase compared to those introduced in the preceding five years.

On January 14, President Biden signed an executive directive that facilitated even broader expansions in AI and energy infrastructure. The directive tasked the Pentagon alongside the DOE to lease federal terrain to private entities intent on erecting “gigawatt scale AI data centers.”

As part of the trade-off, corporations endeavoring to construct on governmental land must employ what’s termed as clean energy. “To underpin these initiatives, the Department of Interior will pinpoint the lands it oversees, which are apt for clean energy that can buttress data centers on DOE and DOD grounds, while facilitating licensing processes for geothermal undertakings,” the order revealed. “DOE shall pursue additional measures to foster distributed energy assets, advance the positioning of clean generation resources at pre-existing connection hubs, and bolster the secure and prudent advancement of nuclear power.”

Based on a report from the U.S. Department of Energy, energy consumption by data centers is anticipated to triple by 2028. “This hike in electricity demand by data centers, nevertheless, must be evaluated within the broader context of the considerably larger electricity requirement expected in subsequent decades, attributed to burgeoning electric vehicle adoption, the return of manufacturing processes, hydrogen application, and the electrification of both industrial and residential sectors,” the report indicated.

Meta investigates nuclear power, but it requires energy presently. The corporation is investing $10 billion in Louisiana for a data center alongside $3.2 billion in three novel gas facilities to energize it. Microsoft is collaborating with Constellation to reactivate reactor unit three of the Three Mile Island nuclear power station. Recently, Constellation unveiled it was acquiring Calpine, a substantial gas power enterprise, for $27 billion.

Gas plants in America emitted over 1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions last year, marking the highest recorded. Despite the existence of methods to curtail carbon output from natural gas operations, numerous of the 80 slated power plants won’t come with carbon reduction technologies.

According to the DOE, both gas power stations and data centers are like enclosures. “While U.S. data centers increasingly partake in site-based electricity generation, establish power agreements, and partake in a range of carbon credits, the details surrounding these endeavors lack transparency across all U.S. data center operators, obstructing inclusion in the overarching analysis,” the DOE report stated.

“Additionally, while curtailing the breadth of this report, this opacity emphasizes that data center proliferation is proceeding with scant contemplation on how optimally to assimilate these emerging demands with the growth of electricity production/transmission or for more extensive community planning.”

In the declaration concerning Meta’s Louisiana data centers, Entergy—the energy ally of the company—revealed that it would incorporate clean, proficient power plants into its grid to satisfy rising power requirements. It wasn’t explicit about the specifics of its gas facilities. “Meta has resolved to align its energy consumption with 100% clean and renewable sources and will collaborate with Entergy to introduce at least 1,500 MW of new sustainable energy to the grid via its Geaux Zero program,” the press release conveyed.

The Geaux Zero initiative is a regional rate scheme encouraging solar energy procurement. Acquiring some renewable power doesn’t guarantee the cessation of carbon emissions, only that Meta has vowed to purchase some solar to accompany it.

The vision, naturally, is for all these newly established data centers and AI mechanisms to rely on renewable and nuclear energy. The reality is, nuclear energy progresses gradually. Initiating a traditional reactor might span a decade, with many innovative, smaller systems remaining untested, underutilized, and unproven.

There’s a potential that monumental tech is on the threshold of a nuclear transformation due to incentives spurred by AI. Nevertheless, considerable natural gas consumption will be necessary to bridge the gap until the reactors commence operation.