HOUSTON, March 23, 2026, 11:52 CDT
AI’s hunger for electricity grabbed center stage at CERAWeek on Monday, as global energy and tech leaders zeroed in on surging power needs. Google’s Ruth Porat said the U.S. wasn’t “full throttle on energy,” setting a blunt tone. Nvidia, meanwhile, announced new partnerships with AES, Constellation, Invenergy, NextEra Energy, Nscale Energy & Power, and Vistra, targeting AI data centers that can adjust to the grid’s swings. Reuters
The clock’s ticking on this one. S&P Global is billing this year’s conference as a magnet for tech heavyweights in Houston, zeroing in on how data-center expansion is shaking up energy markets. Among the highlights: a main session dubbed “Powering the AI Revolution,” plus a panel on reliability and affordability with Porat, John Ketchum, and Daniel Yergin—he’s calling the overlap between energy and tech “converging like never before.” CERAWeek by S&P Global
The numbers are settling in. The Energy Information Administration is now forecasting U.S. electricity consumption to hit new highs in both 2026 and 2027. Projections highlighted by Reuters Events, drawing on Electric Power Research Institute data, indicate data centers could be pulling in 9% of U.S. electricity demand by 2030, up from just 4% in 2025.
Google is looking to buy itself some breathing room. Just last week, the company said it had inked five utility deals tied to “demand response” arrangements—agreements that compensate major customers for dialing down electricity use during peak periods. The move could put up to 1 gigawatt of Google’s data-center capacity on the chopping block when curtailment is needed. “That’s a really important tool for meeting future demand,” said Michael Terrell, who heads advanced energy at Google. Reuters
Nvidia is pitching its collaboration with Emerald AI and six big power firms as a shortcut for getting “AI factories”—Nvidia’s label for AI data centers—plugged into the grid sooner. Their strategy: rely on on-site generation, batteries, and smart software that dials down computing when the grid gets tight. AES boss Andrés Gluski summed it up: “grid flexibility will be key.” Constellation’s Joe Dominguez took a different angle: “We don’t have a supply problem — we have a peak problem.” NVIDIA Newsroom
Bigger players are under the gun, moving quickly to lock down supply. NextEra, for instance, announced on March 20 that Trump greenlit as much as 10 gigawatts of gas-fired capacity in Texas and Pennsylvania to supply major consumers like data centers. At the same time, SoftBank and AEP put out plans for a sprawling Ohio AI campus tied to a 9.2-gigawatt gas facility. The catch: urgency is tilting the balance toward more gas, and environmental pushback has already landed on the Ohio initiative.
Investors followed suit. Constellation jumped roughly 3.0% by 11:37 a.m. CDT. Vistra climbed 4.1%. NextEra added 1.1%. Nvidia edged higher, up 1.6%. Alphabet gained 0.4%—more muted on the tech front.
Houston isn’t seeing the usual power conference mood. Oil pinned near $100 a barrel on Monday after the war on Iran rattled global trading, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and ADNOC boss Sultan Al Jaber both warning that the shock is rippling through the broader economy. Suddenly, the scramble to add electricity for AI isn’t just a long-term issue—it’s turning into a real-time supply battle.
