Ex-UK energy official warns AI needs 500GW by 2035 and the industry isn't ready
ShakeelHashim · x · 2026-10-06
Kirsten Horton, who set up the UK Government's AI and Energy Directorate after eight years in its energy department, warns in Transformer that AI is heading for a power crunch. Key points:
- US AI data centers are projected to grow from 5GW in 2025 (slightly less annual electricity than New York City) to 50GW by 2030; at the same pace, 2035 would require 500GW — more than all US households, businesses and other users currently buy in a year.
- AI companies are already spending an estimated $800B a year on data centers, and a "dash for gas" is underway: bypassing grid connections with on-site gas generators. xAI's Colossus cluster in Memphis, built in 122 days, runs on dozens of portable gas turbines.
- Community pushback is mounting over noise, air quality and emissions: New York state placed a moratorium on new data centers, and Sanders/AOC proposed a federal one.
Her conclusion: without major investment in energy infrastructure now, power will constrain AI capability growth and economic expansion into the 2030s.
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