House subcommittee: U.S. lacks energy infrastructure to power AI 'moonshot' as data centers surge

The Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs opened a hearing March 28 to examine what members and witnesses called the energy and infrastructure gaps threatening "America's AI moonshot." Chairman Burleson convened the meeting and framed the issue by saying the hearing would discuss "America's AI moonshot."

Neil Chilson, head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, told the panel that AI could generate large economic and health benefits but that realizing them requires both software-friendly federal policy and faster energy infrastructure development. "America's AI moonshot depends on getting both regulatory environments right," Chilson said in his opening remarks.

The hearing brought three industry and policy witnesses who largely agreed that data center growth is accelerating demand for electricity and other local resources. Josh Levy, president of the Data Center Coalition, said U.S. data center capacity is expanding rapidly and that his members face three main barriers: timely access to reliable energy, equipment supply-chain constraints and workforce shortages. "To meet growing demand for these digital services, our member companies are making multibillion dollar investments in data center infrastructure," Levy said.

Energy-policy witness Mark Mills, executive director of the National Center for Energy Analytics, emphasized the arithmetic of power demand and the…