logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
31m 32s

Get ready for a hot AI summer

THE WASHINGTON POST
About this episode

Crypto, AI and clean-tech manufacturing are pushing America’s power grid to the brink. Aging utilities can’t keep up. On today’s episode of “Post Reports,” we look into who will be left to pay the price.


Read more:


Vast swaths of the United States are at risk of running short of power this summer, as electricity-hungry data centers and clean-technology factories eat up what the country’s aging power grid churns out.

Today on “Post Reports,” business reporter Evan Halper explains what’s putting the power grid under so much strain, what solutions the government and Big Tech are proposing, and who will foot the bill

Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Peter Bresnan, with help from Monica Campbell. It was mixed by Sean Carter. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Up next
Aug 23
Deep Reads: A last lifeline in ‘detention alley’
Christopher Kinnison, 46, worked at his own one-man law firm in the central Louisiana city of Alexandria, putting him within a two-hour drive of the state’s nine ICE facilities, the highest number of any state other than Texas. Most of his clients were detainees, and his business ... Show More
30m 6s
Aug 22
Trump's peacemaking dreams and D.C. pizza party
This week, President Donald Trump claimed he’s ended six — or maybe even seven — wars. But his efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine, three years after Russia’s invasion, appear stalled.Guest host Cleve Wootson speaks with White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski and White House cor ... Show More
28m 59s
Aug 21
The Texas-California showdown over redistricting
With a vote of 88 ayes and 52 nays, the Texas House passed a controversial new election map on Wednesday night. If approved in the state Senate, the redrawn lines would create five new congressional districts that lean heavily red.The Texas House vote comes a few weeks after Texa ... Show More
26m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
AI’s Insatiable Needs Wreak Havoc on Power Systems
AI data centers are huge energy black holes, consuming as much energy as 30,000 homes – and their rapid growth is straining global grids. The numbers are astonishing: Sweden could see power demand from data centers roughly double over the course of this decade. In the UK, AI is e ... Show More
14m 44s
Jan 2025
Tech Talk: AI Supremacy, TikTok’s Fate, and Crypto Decadence
Today, tech talk with an old friend of the pod, Kevin Roose of The New York Times, who is also host of the 'Hard Fork' podcast. This is a show about everything. And it’s going to remain a show about everything because I’m a little bit interested in everything. But one cost of tha ... Show More
1h 4m
Jan 2025
'Godfather of AI' Backs Musk Lawsuit, Data Centers Distort Electric Grid, and 2025 Predictions From 1925
We're experimenting and would love to hear from you!In this episode of Discover Daily, we delve into the latest developments in the OpenAI lawsuit, where AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has thrown his support behind Elon Musk's legal challenge. The episode explores the contro ... Show More
8m 43s
Feb 2024
The NIMBY war against green energy
With green energy now powering almost 40% of America’s grid, the next few years will be critical. As the need for a cleaner, more resilient power grid intensifies, due in large part to climate change, there have been increasing efforts across the country to block utility-scale wi ... Show More
14m 2s
Mar 2024
New demand is straining the grid. Here’s how to tackle it.
When Brian Janous took charge of Microsoft’s clean energy strategy in 2011, the company’s data center demand was modest. He was measuring new demand in the tens of megawatts.Over the years, that grew to hundreds of megawatts of new demand as hyperscale computing expanded. And the ... Show More
29m 59s
Feb 2025
More 2025 trends: DeepSeek, plug-in hybrids, and curtailment
Didn’t catch last week’s episode on Nat Bullard’s mega slide deck on energy transition? Start there. This is the second half of our extended conversation with Nat, the former chief content officer at BloombergNEF and current co-founder at data insights company Halcyon. In this ep ... Show More
49m 45s
Feb 2025
What does DeepSeek AI mean for energy?
It’s a historic moment in energy, with a leap forward in AI technology coming as the Trump administration sets a new direction for the US. The Energy Gang break down what it all means. When they make The Energy Transition – The Movie, the week of 27th January 2025 will be a pivot ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2024
One Thing: Power Lines for the Left Behind
A sweltering summer is continuing around the world, as the planet continues to break records for the hottest day in recorded history. In the US, medical officials and utility companies in multiple cities are struggling to keep up. In this episode, we look at why power grid resili ... Show More
18m 48s
Sep 2024
Calls Grow to Increase Former President Donald Trump’s Security
P.M. Edition for Sept. 16. The Wall Street Journal’s Ryan Barber on why the U.S. Secret Service is rethinking its approach to the presidential candidates’ protection. And the U.S. power grid survived another brutal summer, but just barely. Energy reporter Katherine Blunt on what ... Show More
13m 43s