Panelists Share Dueling Visions of Energy Grid in AI Race
As big tech bring their own energy supply to data centers, will the electric grid suffer?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2026 – Changes to the way electricity is being transmitted on the grid was much on the mind of the two hyperscalers, Amazon and Google, participating in the last panel of the day at the INCOMPAS Policy Summit on Thursday.
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Ray Fakhoury, policy manager for Amazon Web Services, noted that companies investing in AI infrastructure seek “clarity and reliability” of power, while taking into account the local communities they operate in.
Fakhoury noted that while companies are taking on building direct energy sources for AI centers, he said that new data centers provide the opportunity for the nation to upgrade an aging electrical grid for the benefit of the communities served by it.
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