Big tech is racing to double the electricity devoted to A.I. over the next five years, a buildout Forbes estimates will cost roughly $2.5 trillion and add the equivalent power draw of more than 30 million homes. That kind of headline makes headlines for a reason, but it’s also a straightforward challenge — not an excuse for panic — and one that America’s private sector and energy markets are already hard at work meeting.
The raw numbers back up the concern but also the opportunity: U.S. data centers already account for a significant slice of the nation’s electricity use and federal analysis projects that demand could climb sharply through the decade. This isn’t some abstract threat; it’s a measurable industrial boom that will create jobs, factories, and energy infrastructure if we let markets and builders do what they do best.
Yes, local strain is real. Recent record capacity prices in the PJM grid and regulatory interventions show the stress points where demand is hitting old, insufficient planning and permitting systems. Those stories prove a political point: when regulators and politicians fail to plan or block projects, consumers feel the squeeze in higher prices — not the invisible hand of capitalism.
We’re already seeing states and utilities move to fix the problem, with Georgia regulators greenlighting massive generation increases to serve data centers and utilities proposing big transmission and generation projects. The right answer isn’t to kneecap enterprise investment with reflexive hostility; it’s to modernize permitting, free up supply, and hold bad actors accountable so competition keeps prices honest.
Smart companies are not waiting for regulators to catch up. Hyperscalers and their partners are building behind-the-meter generation, striking long-term contracts, and even turning to traditional energy players to supply the turbines and kilowatts these facilities need. That entrepreneurial response — private investment meeting private demand — is exactly how America solves infrastructure problems without turning to endless new top-down mandates.
Natural gas, fuel cells, and even legacy nuclear are stepping up to fill the gap, and the market is already reorienting supply chains to deliver tens of gigawatts per year of new capacity. Conservatives who care about energy reliability should welcome this: abundant, affordable domestic energy is the foundation of national strength and technological leadership.
Of course, alarmists on the left will try to turn every grid choke point into a moral cudgel demanding more subsidies and more central planning. That’s politically convenient but economically dangerous. We should be skeptical of people who weaponize fear to expand bureaucratic control — sensible permitting reform, incentives for on-site generation, and faster approvals for transmission upgrades are the conservative solutions that protect consumers and unleash growth.
This A.I. electrification wave is a strategic advantage if we treat it like one: it brings investment, skilled jobs, and renewed demand for American manufacturing. The Department of Energy and industry groups are already talking about demand response, onsite storage, and repurposing retired generation assets to meet the load — practical, market-friendly tools that won’t wreck the budget or national security.
Patriots who love work, family, and country should cheer this moment. Let the firms that built the internet and employ millions build their next-generation infrastructure here, under American rules and with American labor. Cut the bureaucratic red tape, lean on the strengths of natural gas and nuclear where appropriate, and watch as free enterprise powers our A.I. future without handing control to ideologues who would rather grandstand than deliver results.
