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PG&E chief executive Patti Poppe says the AI boom could help bring investment to California’s electricity grid, as technology companies such as Google co-invest in energy infrastructure. She described AI as a new source of growth and funding for a grid that needs investment, Fortune reports.
Why it mattersPoppe also pointed to California adding 33 gigawatts of renewables and storage over the past five years, with another 22 gigawatts planned by 2030. That is her case for the opportunity, not evidence that AI demand alone will deliver those projects. The useful question is whether data-centre growth can help pay for grid upgrades without leaving households with the bill. AI may be bringing new money to the table; the table, as ever, has a rather large invoice.
Discuss: Should data-centre companies be expected to fund more of the grid expansion their AI ambitions require, or should those costs be shared across all electricity customers?
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