A FEW WEEKS ago, the Iberian Peninsula lost all power because of atmospheric/natural phenomenon interfering with its renewable power suppliers. Spain had proudly proclaimed that they have achieved complete renewable energy production. The massive blackout was a wakeup call for them, and dare I say for the whole world.
We are approaching a time when we will need more power, not for direct human consumption, but for the demands of robotics and AI. In fact, many AI leaders propose building specialized power plants for AI factories and data center. Assuming robotics will continue to develop, AI powered drones and robots will need their warehouses and maintenance depots. That will also require more power. The same is true for AI infrastructure, communications and other similar platforms.
The old coal and hydrocarbon-based model no longer works in such a society. So logically, any city or country that wants to get in on the AI train will need to enhance its own power generating capacity. Think of it like cars and roads. A town that has few asphalt roads will have very few cars. It doesn’t have the capacity for them. The same thing applies to AI and robotics. More energy means more capacity for AI data centers and infrastructure.
For developed countries, this means transitioning to more nuclear or even fusion power. It also means the end of renewables as a viable mainstream source of energy. As such, the struggle to develop AI correlates with the drive to produce more power.
For smaller countries like ours, this means we have to double down on our own infrastructure, just to participate. This requires our leaders to rethink what the country will look like in the new AI world. It means thinking about investing in more expensive and more difficult-to-maintain energy infrastructure. Hard, to be sure, but necessary for the world tomorrow./PN
