133. AI, Datacenters and Energy - May24

133. AI, Datacenters and Energy - May24

"McKinsey, BCG and S&P Global Commodity Insights project electricity demand tied to data centers to increase at a CAGR of 15% through 2030." “Booming AI demand threatens global electricity supply (FT)”. Media and consultants have recently raised the alarm about the unquenchable energy thirst of AI and datacentres. Can we believe those predictions or is it another scaremongering wave like we saw 15 years ago, when prophets predicted that the internet would soon consume 50% of the world power?

Laurent and Gerard prefer to go directly to the source. So, we have invited Michael Terrell, Senior Director Energy and Climate at Google. Google is one of the Top 5 purchasers of Green Electricity in the world, and Michael is one of the key architects for providing 24/7 green power to their 28 datacenters around the world.

With Michael, we analyse why datacenters consume so much energy. We also discuss why the overall grid has not melted down despite ominous predictions a decade ago, as energy efficiency improvements have been spectacular. We talk about fostering the purchase of green energy and especially 24/7. We discuss new tech, whether software (Tapestry) or hardtech (geothermal, nuclear, LDES) and why Google and others BigTech are fostering them. Finally, we discuss the development of AI and its impact on the future demand.

All in all, a great discussion but more importantly a very optimistic dialogue, where we see that we – the Energy Transition Brotherhood – are a force for good and we will defeat – easily – the old guard of fossil fuel lobbyists and scaremongers.

We thank Amundi for supporting our show

Episoder(174)

215. PPAs, FPAs, IPPs, Flex and Capture rates: new paradigms - Feb26

215. PPAs, FPAs, IPPs, Flex and Capture rates: new paradigms - Feb26

Luca Pedretti, Co-Founder, Pexapark, returns to discuss how volatility, market design, and new contract structures are transforming power markets and renewable economics. What begins with PPA pricing ...

9 Feb 27min

214. Grid Resilience: hot risks, cold solutions - Feb26

214. Grid Resilience: hot risks, cold solutions - Feb26

Resilience is the buzzword of the moment—from Gerard’s personal resilience on display in Davos last week to the critical issue of grid resilience.  The great Doug Houseman draws a useful distinction b...

2 Feb 29min

213. Big Funds, Bigger Bets: Inside Infrastructure’s Power Shift - Jan26

213. Big Funds, Bigger Bets: Inside Infrastructure’s Power Shift - Jan26

The infrastructure fund industry has become one of the most powerful engines behind the rise of renewables and datacenters. With Zak Bentley, Americas Editor, Infrastructure Investor (part of the PEI ...

26 Jan 30min

212. Heat Pumps rise again - Jan26

212. Heat Pumps rise again - Jan26

Heat pumps sit at the heart of Europe’s strategy to cut emissions and reduce dependence on imported gas. Under the EU’s REPowerEU plan, the bloc is targeting 60 million heat pumps by 2030. By the end ...

19 Jan 31min

211. The last Mile revolution: turning Distribution Networks into Flexibility Powerhouses - Jan26

211. The last Mile revolution: turning Distribution Networks into Flexibility Powerhouses - Jan26

Laurent and Gerard sit down with Jo-Jo Hubbard, CEO of Electron, to explore why the centre of gravity in the energy transition is shifting decisively toward the distribution grid. Jo-Jo explains why t...

12 Jan 30min

210. Our Predictions for 2026

210. Our Predictions for 2026

Happy New Year energy nerdsAs tradition demands (and lawyers insist), the first episode of the year is the annual ritual where Gerard, Laurent, and Michael boldly predict the future of the energy tran...

5 Jan 33min

209. Deals, Scandals and other memorable moments of 2025

209. Deals, Scandals and other memorable moments of 2025

For our final episode of the year, Laurent jumped onto the Wolfe Power podcast, where he and host Alex Wolfe took a no-nonsense tour through the big energy moments that shaped 2025.  Deals of the Year...

22 Des 202537min

208. AI vs. Energy: the cost of speed - dec25

208. AI vs. Energy: the cost of speed - dec25

Will artificial intelligence reshape the power grid, or will the inertia and complexity of today’s infrastructure slow progress—or even redefine how large language models, chips, and datacenters are d...

15 Des 202531min

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