The US AI industry has submitted interconnection requests representing 1,066 gigawatts of electrical capacity, several times the current US generating capacity. According to research firm Wood Mackenzie, only about 28% of this requested capacity is likely to materialize, with the rest being speculative or duplicative projects. On ERCOT’s grid in Texas, the legitimacy rate drops to around 14%, while on the PJM grid, approximately half of data center requests may be credible. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered an audit of ERCOT’s interconnection queue, targeting nearly 474 gigawatts of proposed data center capacity in the system. Data centers currently account for roughly 4% to 6% of total US electricity consumption.
Source: Read the original article
