UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on major tech companies to transition to 100% sustainable energy to power their AI operations, warning that current energy demands could strain global capacity. The appeal comes as US utilities requested a record $29 billion in rate increases during the first half of 2025—double last year’s level—largely driven by surging data center energy needs that are being passed on to customers.
The big picture: AI’s explosive growth is creating an energy crisis that’s forcing difficult choices between technological advancement and environmental sustainability.
- Data center energy consumption is expected to double by 2030 to 945 terawatt-hours, with natural gas remaining the cheapest and most abundant power source.
- The world’s largest concentration of data centers operates within the PJM Interconnection grid network, which will release results from its annual power auction later today.
What they’re saying: Industry leaders acknowledge the tension between AI ambitions and energy realities.
- “AI can boost efficiency, innovation and resilience in energy systems, but it is also energy hungry,” Guterres said in New York.
- “Energy dominance means our tech guys can run full throttle,” said Toby Rice, CEO of natural gas producer EQT, speaking at Trump’s “Energy and Innovation Summit” in Pittsburgh last week.
- “The tech crowd, they care about cost, they care about reliability. But people still care about the carbon aspects,” Rice added, highlighting his company’s carbon-capture projects.
Current reality: Major tech companies are pursuing mixed approaches to address their carbon footprint.
- Amazon, Google, and Meta offset some emissions through credits and renewable energy programs, but these measures don’t fully address the scale of their growing energy demands.
- The shale gas industry is positioning itself as a key solution, with EQT announcing several new projects to meet tech sector demand.
Why this matters: The collision between AI growth and energy infrastructure is reshaping both industries, forcing companies to balance innovation speed with sustainability commitments while potentially driving up energy costs for consumers nationwide.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...