‘We need more energy’: Stanford symposium explores data center growth

A symposium held at Stanford University on May 1 brought together policymakers, climate activists, academics, and energy sector leaders to explore the responsible growth of data centers, addressing concerns about their escalating electricity demand and community impacts. Panelists warned that data centers, fueled by artificial intelligence, could double or triple the country's electricity consumption by 2030, currently at 4-5%. Locally, Pacific Gas & Electric has noted requests for nearly 2 gigawatts of new data center demand in the San José area, which is twice the city's peak load. In Santa Clara, the city's 58 data centers already account for 55% of power usage from Silicon Valley Power. Despite these concerns, some experts, including State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, suggested that data centers could help lower rates for all customers by assuming a larger share of grid maintenance costs and contributing to renewable energy goals through power purchase agreements. However, the rapid growth has ignited bipartisan opposition across the country. Maine's legislature passed a statewide moratorium on new data centers, which was subsequently vetoed by Governor Janet Mills. A city in Wisconsin recently adopted a referendum to restrict future data centers, partly in response to a large Oracle and OpenAI facility. Residents in Ohio are pursuing a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to ban new data centers exceeding 25 megawatts. Panelists stressed the importance of community engagement and buy-in to address these concerns effectively.