AI Power Demand Might Actually Turn Out to Be Good for Climate
Companies that profit from fossil fuels claim the increase in electricity demand driven by data centers will trigger investment in clean energy — in the long run.
An Amazon Web Services data center in Ashburn, Virginia on July 28, 2024.
Photographer: Nathan Howard/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Big energy companies are making the case that skyrocketing electricity demand from data centers — and the need to build more power sources to meet it — will end up being good for the climate.
Several company executives have plugged the counterintuitive claim over the past month: Cam Hosie, senior vice president of new energy at SLB, the world’s biggest oilfield service provider, called the rapid increase in electricity demand the “greatest blessing” the energy transition could hope for.