What history says about today's AI power surge
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This might be our first AI race, but it's not America's first power boom.
Why it matters: The latest boom in power is scrambling our communities, politics and power bills, with Big Tech companies making promises seeking to ease said scramble.
The big picture: The U.S. has been able to meet soaring electricity demand in decades past at even higher growth rates than what experts are predicting now.
Yes, but: "One must keep in mind that the magnitude of current load is far above that of the '70s and '80s," said power expert and consultant Rob Gramlich, president of consulting firm Grid Strategies LLC.
The magnitude is "relatively large and possibly unprecedented," Gramlich said by email.
Zoom out: "Every technology that has required a major infrastructure expansion has involved precisely the kinds of questions that we're facing here," Microsoft President Brad Smith told Axios' Ina Fried about his company's recently stated pledge to not burden locals with its data centers.
- "Private companies cannot solve all the issues by themselves, but they can make it easier when they take a high road," Smith said.
