As a result, it can take four or five years for a new energy source to pass through an “interconnect queue” to be added to existing US power grids, Stoner explains.

At the rate AI is developing and investment in the sector is growing, that won’t be enough—despite California’s success with renewables. The Washington Post reports that many states like Texas don’t have enough electricity as it is—and states like Georgia, Virginia, and Arizona will have to scramble to keep up with data centers' energy demands.