New Trump order: Dirty power for AI
President Trump wants to use a 19th-century fuel to drive 21st-century technology.
Trump is expected to sign an executive order today boosting the declining coal industry, positioning the fossil fuel as a cheap and reliable way to meet the staggering power demands of Big Tech’s AI dreams, according to Bloomberg.
Many of today’s massive data center projects planned by companies like Meta and Amazon are built to be powered by renewable clean energy, such as solar, wind, hydro, or even nuclear power, though a study found the massive needs of data centers are already prolonging the use of fossil fuels to meet that demand.
The report says that the order would let the government use “emergency authority” to prop up unprofitable plants to maintain grid reliability.
Many of today’s massive data center projects planned by companies like Meta and Amazon are built to be powered by renewable clean energy, such as solar, wind, hydro, or even nuclear power, though a study found the massive needs of data centers are already prolonging the use of fossil fuels to meet that demand.
The report says that the order would let the government use “emergency authority” to prop up unprofitable plants to maintain grid reliability.