AI’s energy demand exposes the folly of Net Zero

• AI’s massive computational needs require vast electricity, with global data centers projected to consume 300+ GW by 2030 – far outpacing renewable energy capacity.
• Wind and solar (just 14 percent of U.S. electricity) face challenges like intermittency, land inefficiency and transmission bottlenecks, making them unable to meet AI’s growing power demands.
• Nuclear, natural gas and coal remain critical for stable, scalable energy to support AI and economic growth, despite opposition from Net Zero advocates.
• The 2050 Net Zero emissions target clashes with AI’s energy needs, exposing it as a political rather than scientifically viable agenda. Tech companies’ carbon pledges are already failing.
• The future requires expanding nuclear power, leveraging natural gas and rejecting energy rationing to sustain AI innovation and economic progress.

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming economies, industries and daily life. But it is also revealing a critical flaw in the global push for Net Zero carbon emissions.

AI’s voracious appetite for electricity is forcing a reckoning with an inconvenient truth: Renewable energy cannot keep pace. The idealistic vision of a carbon-free future, championed by bureaucrats and climate activists, is colliding with the unyielding realities of physics and economics.

As AI expands, so too must reliable energy sources like coal, natural gas and nuclear power. The Net Zero agenda, always more about control than science, is now untenable.

From advanced data analysis to autonomous systems, AI requires immense computational power housed in sprawling data centers. These facilities consume staggering amounts of electricity, far beyond what wind and solar can realistically provide. The expanding carbon footprint of the five top tech behemoths stems mostly from the breakneck expansion of AI, which requires huge amounts of energy to develop and run. (Related: A nuclear energy renaissance is underway because AI requires vast amounts of energy.)

According to a RAND Corp. report, AI data centers worldwide already demand more than 20 gigawatts (GW) of power – equivalent to twice the total generating capacity of Utah. By 2026, that figure is projected to reach 68 GW, nearly matching California’s entire energy output. By 2030, estimates suggest AI could require over 300 GW globally.

This explosive growth is not speculative – it is already underway. The U.S. alone has seen a 40 percent surge in data centers in just 18 months. For example, the Colossus supercomputer in Memphis consumes 150 megawatts – enough to power 53,000 homes.

The nuclear and fossil fuel reality: Why renewables can’t keep up

The climate lobby insists that wind and solar can replace fossil fuels, but the numbers tell a different story. As of 2023, natural gas supplied 43 percent of U.S. electricity, coal 16 percent and nuclear nearly 19 percent – while wind and solar combined accounted for just 14 percent.

Even if renewable capacity expands, these sources face insurmountable challenges. Intermittency remains the most glaring issue. The sun does not always shine, and the wind does not always blow.

Land inefficiency is another obstacle, as solar and wind farms require vast acreage. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, renewables are 5,500 times less efficient per acre than nuclear plants.

Transmission bottlenecks further complicate matters, as building thousands of miles of power lines to connect scattered renewable sources is costly and slow. Energy expert Steve Gorham warns that relying on renewables to meet AI’s demands is pure fantasy. The infrastructure simply cannot scale quickly enough.

Nuclear power  clean, efficient, and capable of meeting AI’s base load demands – is experiencing a resurgence, with new plants approved in the U.S. and Europe. Natural gas remains the backbone of U.S. electricity, and its expansion is inevitable. Coal, despite environmentalist opposition, still powers much of the developing world.

The push for 2050 Net Zero was always a political maneuver, not a scientific necessity.  Tech giants like Google and Microsoft pledged carbon neutrality by 2030 – before the AI boom. Now, their energy consumption is doubling or tripling in just a few years. A recent Carbon Market Watch report found their climate strategies “poor” to “very poor” in integrity.

The AI revolution is unstoppable, and so is the demand for real energy – not the unreliable kind peddled by climate activists. The Net Zero agenda was a top-down fantasy, destined to fail. The path forward is clear – expand nuclear, embrace natural gas and reject energy rationing – as freedom and innovation depend on it.

Watch the Health Ranger Mike Adams and David Tice discussing how nuclear power can meet the U.S.’s energy demands in this clip.

This video is from the Brighteon Highlights channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Soaring AI demands ignite $16.1B grid crisis, threatening U.S. energy affordability.

The AI energy surge: How data centers are reshaping global electricity grids.

Meta secures 20-year nuclear deal to power AI expansion amid surging energy demands.

Sources include: 

ClimateDepot.com

TaipeiTimes.com

Inflect.co.uk

Brighteon.com