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Three years after ChatGPT ignited the AI race, the assumptions driving the multi-trillion dollar data center boom are beginning to change.
The idea that infinitely scaling large language models will unlock AGI and justify unprecedented increases in power demand is now being questioned by some of the most influential voices in the field. At the same time, utilities are planning about $1 trillion in grid upgrades, much of it based on speculative data center proposals and a still-evolving understanding of actual loads.
In this episode, Stephen Lacey unpacks the growing tension between an AI industry defined by rapid iteration and a power system built on decades-long investment cycles. What does this discrepancy mean for forecasting, funding, and resource planning?
Below are two conversations from Transition-AI Boston. Former FERC Commissioner Alison Clements and Generate Capital’s Peter Nulsen explain why traditional planning signals no longer provide the certainty they once did. How will load uncertainty, short-term contracts, and sequencing challenges reshape the risk profile of new energy projects?
In the second discussion, Mike Kramer of Constellation, Dawn Owens of Fervo Energy, and Sam Simmons of Form Energy explore whether AI-driven loads will create meaningful demand signals for clean, stable technologies such as geothermal, advanced nuclear, and multi-day storage. What determines whether they gain a real foothold?
Registration for Transition-AI 2026 will begin soon in San Francisco. Click here for details.
Nextracker is currently next power. As AI, data centers, and electrified infrastructure drive power demand exponentially, solar power is the only power source that can scale fast enough to keep up with this moment. Nextpower is a technology platform built for this future, offering connectivity systems that integrate structural, electrical and digital technologies in solar power plants. Give strength to the next step Nextpower.com.
Open circuit is brought to you by natural power. Natural Power specializes in renewable energy consulting and engineering, supporting wind, solar and battery storage projects from concept to financing. Find out how we’re creating a world of renewable energy. naturalpower.com.
As resilience becomes a key driver for grid investments, Latitude Media and The Ad Hoc Group power resilience forum It will be held in Houston, Texas from January 21-23, 2026. Utilities, regulators, innovators and investors will all come together to discuss how to keep the power grid running in a new era of heat waves, wildfires and storms. Register now here!
