Essay by Eric Worrall
“… China is outstripping America in constructing new capacity, adding 429 GW in 2024 compared with just 51 GW achieved by the land of the free. …”
OpenAI tells Trump to build more power plants or China wins the AI arms race
‘Electrons are the new oil,’ ChatGPT maker claims, demanding 100 GW per year
Dan Robinson
Tue 28 Oct 2025 // 17:20 UTCOpenAI wants the Trump administration to build 100 gigawatts of additional electricity generation capacity per annum to avoid the US being overtaken by China in the AI arms race.
The highly-valued generative AI biz says electricity is “a strategic asset” critical to building the AI infrastructure that will secure US leadership on “the most consequential technology since electricity itself.”
However, China is outstripping America in constructing new capacity, adding 429 GW in 2024 compared with just 51 GW achieved by the land of the free.
…
“We believe the Trump Administration should work with the private sector on an ambitious national project to build 100 gigawatts a year of new energy capacity,” OpenAI says.
…
In related news, Google signed a deal with NextEra Energy to restart Iowa’s Duane Arnold Energy Center, the state’s only nuclear plant. Once operational — expected in early 2029 — Google will purchase power from the 615 MW facility as a carbon-free energy source for its cloud and AI infrastructure. The company says the move may also strengthen local grid reliability.
…
Read more: https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/28/openai_100gw_power_demand/
This is nothing short of a Silicon Valley capitulation to the MAGA agenda. To save their skins, big tech traded their climate virtue for continued global relevance.
The remnants of their former green allegiance are still showing through, for now at least they are restarting old nuclear plants when they can, and flinging money at speculative nuclear fusion startups, rather than focusing all their resources on coal and gas. But fusion is still decades away, and they are running out of old nuclear plants to recommission.
As Facebook’s recent commissioning of a new 2GW gas plant demonstrates, access to affordable energy is now more important to big tech than climate virtue.
One thing is clear, we are now in a new winner takes all AI cold war with China, with battle fronts in commerce, industry, political influence and military technology. The AI Military Industrial Complex is rapidly dominating the global agenda. The green movement is finished, along with any political party or group which promotes green virtue over easy access to cheap energy.
For years big tech social media gatekeepers punished conservatives and climate skeptics, and did their best to bury any narrative which undermined radical left wing causes like climate action, but for now that situation is reversed. Big tech needs us to secure their affordable energy supply lines. I can’t imagine big tech search and social media allowing the rise of any narrative which impedes their dash for energy, which they desperately need to fend off Asian AI rivals.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
