renewable energy
30 articles about renewable energy in AI news
China's Mountain-Scale Solar Farms Redefine Renewable Energy Ambition
Massive solar installations covering entire hillsides in rural Guizhou demonstrate China's unprecedented scale in renewable energy infrastructure, transforming barren landscapes into terawatt-hour electricity generators.
Renewables Hit 49.4% of Global Electricity Capacity in 2025, Adding 692 GW as Solar Powers AI Growth
Renewable energy reached 49.4% of global electricity capacity in 2025, adding 692 GW in a single year. Solar contributed 511 GW, becoming the primary driver as energy demands from AI compute surge.
China's 'Peel-and-Stick' Solar Revolution: Flexible Panels Promise Energy Transformation
A Chinese company has developed lightweight, flexible solar panels that can be directly adhered to rooftops, potentially revolutionizing solar installation with simple peel-and-stick technology. These high-efficiency solar films could make renewable energy deployment faster and more accessible worldwide.
Quaise Energy Raises $134M for Superhot Geothermal Drilling
Quaise Energy raised $134M for superhot geothermal drilling, targeting 24/7 clean power for AI data centers by 2030.
CATL Invests in DeepSeek: Battery Giant Pivots to AI Energy
CATL invested in DeepSeek's first funding round, signaling a $1B+ pivot to AI data center energy infrastructure.
Europe's AI Ambition Gap: No Energy, No Data Centers, No Strategy
Europe lacks a strategy for AI, with no energy or data center plan, per @kimmonismus. Only minor EU AI Act concessions offered.
Taiwan's Return to Nuclear Power Highlights Energy Security as Critical Infrastructure for AI Development
Taiwan is restarting its nuclear power program to address extreme energy import dependence, with 97% of power imported. This strategic shift underscores energy independence as a foundational requirement for economic stability and future AI infrastructure.
OpenAI in Advanced Talks to Buy Electricity from Sam Altman-Backed Helion Energy
OpenAI is negotiating to purchase electricity from fusion startup Helion Energy, with a potential deal securing 12.5% of Helion's initial power output. This move signals a strategic push by the AI giant to lock in massive, clean energy for future compute needs.
Marc Andreessen's Warning: AI's Value Could Shift Entirely to Hardware and Energy
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen predicts a dramatic shift where AI model companies might capture all economic value, with software becoming open-source while hardware and energy providers dominate the industry's profits.
Von der Leyen's Nuclear Stance Exposes Europe's Deep Energy Divide
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a German politician, has publicly declared nuclear energy essential for Europe's electricity supply while her own country completed its nuclear phase-out just last year. This contradiction highlights the fragmented energy policies across EU member states as Europe struggles to balance decarbonization goals with energy security.
China's Solar Power Surge: The Hidden Energy Race Behind Artificial General Intelligence
China is deploying 162 square miles of solar panels on the Tibetan Plateau while dominating global solar manufacturing, creating an energy foundation that could determine which nation achieves Artificial General Intelligence first.
China's Next-Gen Nuclear Reactor: AI-Powered Waste-Burning Technology Promises Millennial Energy
China is developing an advanced nuclear reactor that uses AI to safely burn nuclear waste as fuel, potentially providing stable energy for 1,000 years. This breakthrough could revolutionize nuclear energy by addressing waste disposal and fuel scarcity simultaneously.
China's Particle Accelerator Reactor Could Revolutionize Nuclear Energy for Millennia
China is constructing the world's first megawatt-level accelerator-driven nuclear reactor in Guangdong, using proton beams to transform nuclear waste into fuel while generating energy. This breakthrough could make uranium 100 times more efficient and reduce radioactive waste lifespan to less than 0.1% of current levels.
Graph Neural Networks Revolutionize Energy System Modeling with Self-Supervised Spatial Allocation
Researchers have developed a novel Graph Neural Network approach that solves critical spatial resolution mismatches in energy system modeling. The self-supervised method integrates multiple geographical features to create physically meaningful allocation weights, significantly improving accuracy and scalability over traditional methods.
China's Solar Surge: How AI and Infrastructure Integration Are Powering a Renewable Revolution
China has achieved its 2030 target of 1.2 terawatts of installed wind and solar capacity six years early, largely by transforming everyday infrastructure like parking lots and rooftops into distributed power plants. This unprecedented deployment pace highlights a strategic fusion of industrial policy, digital management, and infrastructure repurposing.
China Deploys 24 MW Underwater AI Data Center Off Shanghai
China activated a 24 MW underwater AI data center with 2,000 servers, using offshore wind and seawater cooling, claiming 30% energy savings.
Nuclear Supplier Boosts Outlook on AI Data Center Demand
A nuclear supplier raised its outlook after AI data center operators increased orders for nuclear power, signaling a structural shift in energy procurement for AI infrastructure.
Thiel-Backed Panthalassa Raises $140M for Wave-Powered AI Data Centers
Panthalassa raised $140M led by Peter Thiel to build wave-powered offshore nodes for AI inference compute, using ocean energy and free cooling.
Epoch AI: Hormuz LNG Shock Absorbed by Chip Margins, Gulf Investment is AI Risk
A new analysis from Epoch AI Research finds the Strait of Hormuz conflict's energy shock is manageable for AI infrastructure, but the real threat is the potential drying up of Gulf capital investment, crucial for projects like Stargate UAE.
Elon Musk: US Grid Capacity Could Double with Battery Storage
Elon Musk highlighted that the US peak power output is ~1.1 TW, but average is 0.5 TW, suggesting batteries could double grid energy delivery by charging at night and discharging during the day.
Anthropic's 'Spud' Model Expected in April, 'Mythos' in Q3 2026 as AI Release Cadence Accelerates
Anthropic's next major frontier model 'Spud' is reportedly scheduled for release in April 2026, with 'Mythos' potentially following in Q3. This aligns with an accelerating ~3-month release cadence across major labs, intensifying competition amid growing compute and energy bottlenecks.
The Great AI Plateau: Why Citadel Securities Predicts Generative AI Won't Grow Exponentially Forever
Citadel Securities argues generative AI adoption will follow an S-curve, not exponential growth, due to physical constraints like compute costs and energy demands. They predict economic realities will cap AI expansion when operating costs exceed human labor expenses.
New York pauses AI data centers >50 MW in first U.S. state ban
New York pauses permits for data centers over 50 MW for one year — first U.S. state ban on AI data centers. GEIS will set standards for grid, water, and community impacts.
AI data centers could add 1.4°C to global warming by 2060, paper finds
AI data centers could add 1.4°C to global warming by 2060, per a new arXiv preprint, assuming 30% annual compute growth. The paper highlights the need for policy intervention.
Amazon Emissions Jump 16% as AI Data Center Demand Grows
Amazon emissions rose 16% to 82.3M metric tons in 2025, the largest jump since 2019, driven by AI data center electricity. The company maintains its net-zero pledge but faces skepticism.
National Grid Bets $1.75B on Joulent to Bypass AI Grid Delays
National Grid invested $1.75B in Joulent to build dedicated AI power plants, bypassing grid delays. Project Kilby, a 2.67 GW gas campus, will supply a Microsoft data center.
EdgeConneX Claims 10GW Pipeline, Australia Gigawatt Campus Proposed
EdgeConneX claims 10GW pipeline; gigawatt behind-the-meter campus proposed in Australia's NT. Chevron signs 20-year Microsoft AI power deal.
PJM Auction Hits $15B as Big Tech AI Power Demand Fuels SMR Boom
PJM's capacity auction hit $15B, up 7x from 2025, driven by AI data center power demand. Big Tech is accelerating nuclear SMR investments.
SemiAnalysis: US behind-the-meter datacenter could hit 40GW+ by 2028
SemiAnalysis projects 40GW+ behind-the-meter datacenter capacity by 2028 as grid delays push 50%+ of new builds off-grid.
Prometheus Hyperscale Wins Gigawatt Wyoming Campus Approval
Prometheus Hyperscale secured gigawatt campus approval in Wyoming for AI workloads, tapping low-cost power and land.