October 19, 2025

NOTUS Perspectives: AI Requires Massive Allocations of Energy. Will Other Sectors Suffer?

By: Janet Egan

This article was originally published on NOTUS.

AI will force hard choices about how energy is allocated in America. Energy demand for developing advanced AI models is skyrocketing. One leading AI company expects to need 5 gigawatts of firm, reliable power (roughly equivalent to the output of five nuclear reactors) to train a single advanced model in 2028, with up to 25 gigawatts required nationwide for advanced AI training.

On the current trajectory, the government may need to prioritize energy for AI over other uses to ensure the United States remains the global leader in advanced AI.

While the Trump administration has taken aggressive steps to speed development — streamlining permitting and allowing use of federal lands — those measures alone will not meet the scale of energy demand. On the current trajectory, the government may need to prioritize energy for AI over other uses to ensure the United States remains the global leader in advanced AI. Tools like the Defense Production Act’s priorities and allocations authorities, or the Department of Energy’s power to override state transmission decisions, make such prioritization possible.

Read the full article on NOTUS.

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