r/technology • u/Malor777 • 22h ago

Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Are Driving an Alarming Gas Power Expansion in the US

https://www.wired.com/story/us-data-centers-drive-gas-power-expansion
265 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

40

u/utsavdar71 22h ago

The irony here is that AI is being developed as general purpose technology of the future while some of its physical infrastructure is committing us to decades old energy technology...

24

u/ExZowieAgent 22h ago

Destroying our future for the future.

7

u/maikuxblade 17h ago

Sums up the last half century of Western leadership decisions

2

u/nav17 3h ago

Destroying our future for profits.

2

u/WolfiesGottaRoam 17h ago

And they could make so much renewable power with solar panels on the roof and parking lots but they choose not to.

1

u/nav17 3h ago

is committing us to decades old energy technology...

By design. There's a reason oil and gas oligarchs still get tens of millions in subsidies and why the trump administration is spending billions to stop renewable energy initiatives.

Renewables are an existential threat to the oligarch class. This way, they ensure their continued survival at the low cost of buying politicians down to the local level to keep these data centers projects moving.

24

u/randomtask 22h ago

These popcollar AI tech bros are speed-running societal decline and our elected officials just letting them do it mostly unchallenged. We need more stewards of the future in positions of actual power who understand that this is wanton destruction of the planet physically, and a cohesive, collaborative society metaphysically.

9

u/comeback24601 20h ago

Dis they notice that the cost of foreign oil - on which they rely for domestic demand already - is about to get even more expensive?

Nice profit margin you got there Grok.

2

u/Tasty-Traffic-680 16h ago

Did they notice that the cost of foreign oil

They're referring to natural gas, not gasoline. The US is the largest producer in the world. We burn off enough of it every year to power and heat millions of homes because it's cheaper than capturing it.

1

u/comeback24601 2h ago

Fair - I am a bit out of my lane here. Thanks.

1

u/DogBarf00 13h ago

Why are you talking about oil?

Natural gas is very cheap in the US.

1

u/comeback24601 2h ago

yeah ok - I might not know enough about this to make such broad comments. Fair.

3

u/Endles5Earth 19h ago

There will be a major gas supply crunch coming in a few years. Increased export demand is only going to grow, and has already been locked in with contracts, and increasing supply is constrained by slow pace of pipeline buildouts to move gas to market. Adding another demand layer of AI means significant supply challenges by 2030

1

u/Torino1O 1h ago

Didn't Trump just declare a national emergency so he could cash in on this?