Is AI Breaking the Grid? Inside the Heatwave, the Backlash, and the Power Crunch

The Grid’s Summer Stress Test

It was one of those July days when air conditioning becomes a matter of public safety. Across the U.S. mid-Atlantic, heat indices pushed past 110 degrees, and the country’s largest power grid nearly touched a two-decade-old record. Then, in a move that would have been unthinkable a few years ago, the U.S. Energy Secretary told big data centers to fire up their diesel backup generators and get off the public grid so residents could keep their AC running. The...