Experts: Greater Energy Production Needed to Support AI

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2025 – The need to shore up energy availability for artificial intelligence infrastructure such as data centers was highlighted at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.

The first hearing of the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee in the 119th Congress focused on the future of AI and manufacturing.

Jason Oxman, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council, a technology trade association, raised the prospect of expanded energy production needs. 

Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., asked Oxman about the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence’s Final Report, a task force that Obernolte co-chaired with Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. While Oxman had great praise for the report, he said if there was one issue that was underemphasized, it would be to put more focus on energy needs. 

“I think we’ve seen just in recent months since the report came out, that energy issues have become more prominent, particularly for data center construction,” Oxman said.

Oxman also said the energy issue should be viewed in broad terms.

“We definitely need an all-of-the-above energy solution for data centers. Data centers power the AI revolution that’s taking place in the U.S., and you’re absolutely right to highlight hindrances to the rollout of energy to supply those data centers,” Oxman also said in the hearing.

Oxman was also questioned by Rep. John James, R-Mich., about regulatory barriers impacting energy development. 

“The biggest obstacle by far is the one you highlighted: The local, the state, the county permitting requirements that hold up the deployment of energy,” Oxman said. “I think [energy] is going to be an issue for U.S. leadership going forward.”

In her testimony for the hearing, MIT Professor Elisabeth Reynolds, spoke about the need for clean energy to withstand the data needs of new manufacturing technologies. Reynolds said  the government should be using “procurement tools to accelerate innovation, technology adoption and scale up in areas such as… energy security including geothermal and nuclear energy.”