Generative AI is compute-intensive, and compute draws power. As model sizes and usage climb, data-center energy demand is becoming a board-level issue.
Long-term PPAs, behind-the-meter solar, and advanced cooling (immersion, heat reuse) are moving from niche to necessary.
Enterprises deploying AI at scale should assess energy elasticity—how costs change as workloads spike—and explore carbon-aware scheduling. Policymakers can enable growth with faster interconnection queues, transmission upgrades, and incentives for clean generation.
The bottom line: energy is now a strategic input to digital products. Teams that plan for it explicitly will out-execute those that treat it as a footnote.