The AI boom triggers a critical shortage of 81,000 electricians annually through 2034 as tech giants like Google desperately compete for skilled tradespeople to build data centers, offering higher wages while battling housing and hospital projects for the same workers.
Meta launches Meta Compute initiative to build tens of gigawatts of AI infrastructure this decade under former Google executive leadership, marking a massive strategic push for competitive advantage amid growing scrutiny of data center construction.
Meta strikes massive nuclear energy deals with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo to generate 6.6 gigawatts of clean power by 2035, becoming one of America's largest corporate nuclear buyers while extending existing plant operations and developing advanced reactor technology to fuel its AI infrastructure expansion.
Cambridge researchers discover that building bike lanes and rail lines creates 'induced demand' just like highways, spurring more people to choose non-driving transportation, but warn the UK still faces a 9% energy increase by 2060 without additional policies beyond infrastructure improvements.
Intel spinout Articul8 raises over $35M at $500M valuation—five times its previous worth—while generating $57M in annual recurring revenue from specialized AI systems serving regulated industries like energy and finance.
AI companies face mounting pressure to slash energy consumption as data centers devour gigawatts of power compared to the human brain's mere 20 watts, while DeepSeek's $6 million breakthrough model challenges trillion-dollar industry spending amid growing concerns over electric grid strain from $61 billion in infrastructure deals.
Alphabet acquires Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash plus debt to accelerate U.S. energy innovation and expand data center capacity, with the deal including multiple gigawatts of projects in development and expected closure in first half of 2026.
The U.S. Department of Energy launches the Genesis Mission, partnering with Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, OpenAI and 20 other organizations to harness artificial intelligence for accelerating scientific discovery, strengthening national security, and driving energy innovation through a scalable national research infrastructure.
Ford launches a $2 billion battery storage business targeting data centers and electric grids, repurposing its Kentucky factory to produce lithium iron phosphate batteries with 20GWh annual capacity starting in 2027 as it pivots from scaled-back electric vehicle plans to compete with Tesla and GM in energy storage.
Boom Supersonic raises $300 million to develop AI data center turbines and lands a massive $1.25 billion order from Crusoe for 29 water-free, 42-megawatt units that use the same supersonic technology powering their commercial airliners.