The soaring estimates for energy demand are impacting utilities, datacenters and the companies that rely on both of them. Sustainability targets are taking a hit as power providers grapple with meeting technology-driven growth and Adam Wilson from S&P’s Commodity Insights team and Dan Thompson from 451 Research’s datacenter group join host Eric Hanselman to discuss where this is leading. Datacenter demand is real and new builds are kicking off that are fully funded. Power availability and cost have become a key criteria for site selection. Both datacenters and power generation investments are long term plans, often decades in the making, but the large shift in demand has upended those strategies. 

Simply getting power from where it’s available to where it’s needed is one of the major challenges. Grid interconnection and power transmission improvements are underway to address some of the gaps, but new technology is many years away. Small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) are only in their early stages and battery storage is still maturing in its capacity. It may not be until 2030 when technology and grid capacity reach parity with demand.

This the final episode that completes the conversations that had started with the AI, datacenter and energy webinar.

More S&P Global Content:

• Webinar Replay (registration required): Talk to the Experts - Artificial intelligence, Datacenters and Energy: Looming crisis or latest craze?
• Energy Research: Coastal radiation surplus in Q2 boosts earnings prospects for top solar owners
• For 451 Research Clients: US datacenter energy profile: Powering the AI economy
• For 451 Research Clients: 2024 US Datacenters and Energy Report 

Credits:

• Host/Author: Eric Hanselman  
• Guests: Adam Wilson, Dan Thompson 

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