"The US is racing ahead in artificial intelligence, but its biggest obstacle is more than chips, rare earths, or talent - it's electricity, according to a new report from Goldman Sachs. The US power grid is already straining under the surge of data centers fueling AI models, with these massive facilities now accounting for about 6% of total US electricity demand."
"By the end of the decade, this spare capacity could fall below the "critically tight" 15% level if AI growth continues at its current pace, Goldman's analysts estimate. China powers ahead While the US grid tightens, China has been quietly stockpiling energy. Goldman projects that by 2030, the country's effective spare power capacity will reach around 400 gigawatts - more than three times the world's total expected data center power demand."
Data centers already consume about 6% of US electricity and could draw roughly 11% by 2030, risking local grid overloads and pushing parts of the power system past critical limits. US peak summer spare generation capacity has fallen from 26% to 19% over five years as data center demand rose, and spare capacity could drop below the 15% "critically tight" threshold by decade's end if AI demand continues. The US holds 44% of global data center capacity, concentrating demand. China is expanding spare power capacity toward roughly 400 gigawatts by 2030, exceeding projected data center power needs and creating a strategic edge.
Read at Business Insider
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