artificial intelligence
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Commentary
Bridging the AI Gap for Energy Utilities
The energy industry is in a bit of a technological whirlwind. Climate-related disruption and shifting adaptation requirements inject alarming levels of uncertainty into traditional business models, while a surge in amazing engineering breakthroughs and innovations simultaneously present irresistible opportunities for enhanced efficacy and resilience.
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Data Centers
Oracle Taps VoltaGrid for 2.3-GW Modular Gas Fleet to Power AI Data Centers Across Texas
Texas-based rapid-deployment power specialist VoltaGrid will deploy 2,300 MW of modular, ultra-low-emissions natural gas generation to support Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s (OCI’s) artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, backed by firm fuel from Energy Transfer’s 140,000-mile pipeline and storage network. Under the collaboration announced Oct. 15, VoltaGrid said its proprietary modular platform—featuring INNIO Jenbacher reciprocating engines and […]
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Nuclear
Amazon Unveils ‘Cascade’—Energy Northwest’s Xe-100 SMR Project, Targeting Construction by 2030
Amazon has unveiled detailed plans and renderings for the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, an initial 320-MW small modular reactor (SMR) complex that will serve as the first major project in its broader 5-GW nuclear partnership with advanced reactor developer X-energy, announced last year. The project will be owned, built, and operated by Energy Northwest just […]
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Commentary
Energy: The Most Critical 7% of America’s GDP
The true engine of America’s economy might surprise you. It’s not tech. It’s not artificial intelligence, finance, or manufacturing. It’s energy. Energy accounts for just 7% of America’s gross domestic product (GDP), but, as former FERC Chair Mark Christie put it, “it’s the foundational 7% … everything else in our economy and lifestyle flows from it.”
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Commentary
AI’s Energy Hunger Demands an All-of-the-Above Strategy
Here’s a fundamental truth: there is no AI without energy. And as the technology grows, its demand for energy, and carbon footprint, may never again be as small as it is today. Against this backdrop, debates over which energy source should power AI miss the point. AI’s appetite for energy—relative to what the grid has […]
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Trends
POWER Digest [October 2025]
Two business conglomerates with interests across Asia announced a partnership to build six geothermal power plants in Indonesia.
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Legal & Regulatory
FERC Acts on Four Reliability Standards, Probes AI and Data Center Load Forecasting
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Sept. 18 advanced four reliability measures for the U.S. bulk power system (BPS), formalizing frameworks around supply chain risk, cloud computing and virtual infrastructure, cybersecurity, and extreme cold weather preparedness. The commission finalized a new supply chain risk management rule—effective in 60 days—that expands protections against vulnerabilities stemming […]
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Trends
Soluna Breaks Ground on 166-MW Texas Wind-Powered Data Center for Crypto and AI
Soluna Holdings, a developer of data centers powered by renewables, is set to break ground on Project Kati, a 166-MW wind-powered data center campus poised to support Bitcoin hosting and the rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. The project, a partnership with EDF Renewables, Masdar, and Spring Lane Capital, […]
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Gas
Blackstone Acquires Gas-Fired Plant in Pennsylvania in $1 Billion Deal
Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, said its energy-focused private equity business has a deal to buy the 620-MW natural gas-fired Hill Top Energy Center in Pennsylvania. The agreement announced September 15 will see Blackstone Energy Transition Partners acquire the power station from Ardian, a global private investment firm. Blackstone officials said the purchase […]
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Commentary
How Innovation in Nuclear Power Projects is Rewriting the Business Energy Playbook
Global energy demand is accelerating, and organizations are increasingly turning to nuclear power to secure stable, long-term electricity supplies. Advances in AI, modular design, and predictive analytics are helping overcome legacy hurdles of cost, complexity, and schedule, while business leaders shift capital toward projects that prioritize resilience as much as efficiency.
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Trends
Why Power Plants Need AI That Engineers Can Trust
America’s power producers face growing pressure to do more with less. A rapidly evolving grid, increasing demand, aging infrastructure, and policy uncertainty have created a system where traditional approaches to reliability are no longer enough. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) recently issued its 2025 RISC report, highlighting the leading risks facing America’s power […]
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data centers
NRC Accepts COLA for Fermi America’s Behemoth Four-Unit AP1000 Nuclear Plant in Texas
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted for review initial portions of a combined license application (COLA) from Dallas-based Fermi America to build and operate four Westinghouse AP1000 reactors in Carson County, Texas. The proposed project—which will be called the “President Donald J. Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus” (also known as Project Matador)—is slated […]
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Energy Storage
Preparing Energy Storage Technology to Support Data Center Power Demands
The increasing power demands of data centers are adding urgency to grid resiliency and renewable energy projects. Data center electricity use is expected to grow 300% by 2035 as hyperscale cloud computing companies race to adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). Renewable energy and microgrid solutions will play an essential role in the digitalized and electrified future.
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Data Centers
Managing AI’s Heat: Advanced Liquid Cooling Systems and the Instrumentation That Supports Them
Efficient liquid cooling supported by reliable instrumentation is essential for data centers to handle increased capacity demands in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and other heavy compute applications. The landscape of data processing has undergone a seismic shift recently, with today’s artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) applications requiring computational power at a […]
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Data Centers
Pacifico Energy Building Massive Gas, Energy Storage Project to Serve Texas Data Centers
An energy infrastructure company said it’s moving forward with the GW Ranch project, an off-grid complex in Texas that will combine natural gas-fired generation and battery energy storage to provide nearly 7 GW of power in Pecos County. The campus, sited on more than 8,000 acres, is designed “to support hyperscale data centers and the […]
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Trends
AI and the Energy Transition: Building a Smarter, Decarbonized Energy System
Solar energy generation from a rooftop panel system can be monitored quickly and easily, an example of how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are empowering businesses to optimize energy use and contribute to a decentralized, decarbonized grid. The energy transition is accelerating. Electrification is surging, renewable power generation is expanding and energy consumption patterns […]
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Commentary
Transforming Energy Finance Through AI-Driven Processes
The power and utility sector underpins every part of modern life, from residential comfort to industrial productivity. Yet, as the global energy landscape evolves, so must the internal operations that keep these organizations running. COMMENTARY With total U.S. power use expected to reach around 4,189 billion kWh in 2025, and 4,278 billion kWh in 2026, […]
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Commentary
How Smarter Cooling Choices Can Cut AI’s Energy Use
Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving, and so is the demand for the infrastructure behind it. However, for those looking to build a sustainably conscious system, this growth raises a crucial question: What does an energy-efficient data center system look like? While rightfully, much of the attention has focused on controlling energy usage of bigger systems […]
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Technology
Building ChatGPT for the Power Industry: EPRI Leads the Way
More than 100 of the world’s largest energy companies are betting that artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize how electricity gets made, moved, and managed. But they’re not waiting for Silicon Valley to build it for them—they’ve taken matters into their own hands through an EPRI-led consortium. That initiative is the Open Power AI Consortium, which […]
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O&M
Creating a Living Asset: The Role of AI-Enhanced Digital Twins in Autonomous Operations
The convergence of artificial intelligence and digital twin technology is emerging as a transformative solution, enabling power producers to shift from static control systems to dynamic, self-optimizing
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Microgrid
When AI-First Becomes Practice, Your Energy Grid Better Be Ready
From healthcare to aviation, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to close operational gaps and garner efficiencies in key industries. Indeed, 78% of respondents in McKinsey’s State of AI Survey for 2025 indicated that their organization is using AI for at least one business function. This year and beyond, the question of AI adoption […]
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Commentary
Virtual Power Plants: How to Power the Energy Economy by Stretching Today’s Grid
The challenge posed by surging demand for electricity from data centers and high-performance computing facilities presents an ideal time for innovative energy solutions that efficiently improve grid reliability and increase the availability of clean, affordable electricity. Not only does the U.S. risk missing more than $100 billion of artificial intelligence (AI) market growth over the […]
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Commentary
Unlocking Opportunities in AI Through Power Demand, Administration’s Initiatives
The U.S. is bracing for a reality where artificial intelligence and data centers overwhelm the power grid, and rightfully so, as America seeks to lead the global AI race. But this push is coming at the same time that the federal government is reshuffling fiscal priorities and prioritizing energy independence. While that dynamic may seem like a challenging juxtaposition, one thing is clear: regardless of political affiliation or preferred priority, if the U.S. wants to lead the world in AI, it must power it first.
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Power
Taiwan’s Tech Industry Driving Country’s Energy Demand
Taiwan is among several countries experiencing an energy crisis, with its supply of power struggling to keep up with demand from a rapidly growing high-tech sector. The country has long depended on imported
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Power
Unlocking Power Plant Efficiency: How AI Models Are Revolutionizing Heat Rate Optimization
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a huge role in heat rate optimization. In some cases, AI-driven models have analyzed operational data to recommend control settings that reduce heat rates by 1.5% to
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Commentary
AI on the Edge: Can Distributed Computing Disrupt the Data Center Boom?
As artificial intelligence (AI) usage and sophistication grows, questions about the sustainability of the traditional model of utilizing huge, centralized data centers are frequently raised. Hyperscale data centers handle most AI workloads today, but they come with high energy demands and environmental costs.
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Commentary
Three Strategies for Seamlessly Incorporating AI into the Modern Energy Equation
In the ongoing effort to improve the profitability of energy production and delivery while mitigating the risks, companies are incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to drive more powerful, effective analytics. This technological leap is critical as the industry navigates evolving demands, embraces new sources, and strives for greater efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. However, some energy companies […]
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Data Centers
ABB, Applied Digital Launch Power Solution for Data Centers
Applied Digital, a builder and operator of next-generation data centers, has launched an infrastructure partnership with ABB at the company’s Greenfield 400-MW campus in North Dakota. TRhe collaboration will innovate fast, reliable, energy-efficient solutions to meet the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI).
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T&D
Hitachi, Southwest Power Pool Join to Develop AI-Based Grid Solution
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional transmission organization (RTO) is joining with energy technology company Hitachi on development of what the groups say is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution to support power transmission reliability and flexibility challenges.
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T&D
Why Grid Hardening Needs to Be Smarter, Not Just Stronger
While many utilities are hardening power grid infrastructure by upgrading poles and wires—a necessary step—brute force solutions alone won’t be enough. To truly future-proof the grid, resilience must be rooted in intelligence via systems that anticipate, adapt, and respond dynamically.