For more than two decades, America has been trapped in an exhausting partisan debate over energy: Republicans shun renewable energy and support the fossil fuel industry – including initiatives like the Northern Access Pipeline through western New York – while Democrats oppose and support fossil fuels. Green energy technologies.
The old partisan boundaries of this debate are already shifting. A growing number of Republicans support US dominance in clean energy, and some Democrats resist the common sense that permits the reform necessary to spread that dominance.
However, the extreme energy needs of AI will completely upend the way we discuss energy in this country.
Artificial intelligence demands a lot Of strength. It is difficult to imagine how much electricity AI will need in a few years.
A recently published peer-reviewed analysis found that NVIDIA, the world's largest AI hardware player, will ship an estimated 1.5 million AI server units by 2027.
When these servers are running at full capacity, they will consume 85.4 terawatt hours of electricity per year – more than Switzerland and Greece consume in a single year.
Of course, not all of these NVIDIA servers will operate in the United States.
But if America continues to lead the AI race – a goal that President-elect Donald Trump is almost certain to pursue – the United States will consume a significant share of the market for AI chips and servers.
Our nation is blessed with an abundance of energy, but our surplus capacity is still almost incapable of handling the increasing energy demands of artificial intelligence.
And artificial intelligence is not alone. According to the International Energy Agency, cryptocurrencies and data centers could also double their 2022 energy consumption levels by 2026.
Furthermore, increasing numbers of electric vehicles will require a greater need for electricity production.
All these facts mean that the debate about conventional energy is now completely moot.
American energy consumption has remained stable for decades. In a world of relatively predictable consumption, conservatives can claim that increasing domestic fossil fuel production would make America energy independent without investing in renewable energy.
This argument was not unreasonable (except for environmental factors). In 2023, fossil fuels accounted for nearly 84% of domestic energy production—almost enough to cover America's entire energy consumption.
On the other hand, progressives can justifiably claim that stable American consumption means that energy efficiency initiatives and investment in renewable energy could lead to weaning the United States off fossil fuels in favor of carbon-free domestic fuel sources.
Governor Hochul's congestion tax may be an ineffective burden on New York's poorest, but no one can deny that real progress like increased fuel economy has improved air quality and livability in urban areas.
In fact, the two sides discussed the best way to fill a fuel tank of roughly the same size, and both made good points.
But AI's energy demands mean that the fuel tank must become much larger, and we lack the luxury of substituting one fuel for another.
Renewable technology is not yet able to meet our current requirements, and our natural gas capacity is simply insufficient to generate the energy we need.
Our only option is to use all the energy sources available to us. And I mean Everything: Natural gas, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, energy storage, nuclear, you name it.
Aggressively expanding our capacity on every front to meet AI's seemingly insatiable energy needs may seem like an impossible lift. But we have no other choice.
AI isn't just a fun technology that can tell jokes, edit articles, help with research projects, and produce lifelike videos. it will be the The critical national security technology of the 21st century, which will transform everything from cybersecurity to intelligence gathering to autonomous weapons systems and more.
If we don't win the AI race, China will, and we don't want to live in a world where Communist China dominates AI.
The partisan debate over energy is over.
With the energy demands of artificial intelligence and the distinct possibility that China will prevail in this new technological race, we have only two choices: use every available energy source – or lose.
Neil Chatterjee served as Chairman and Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
