AI data centers are driving unprecedented demand for electricity and putting renewed pressure on America’s power grid to modernize its equipment and develop greener, more efficient sources of power. Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon are all spending millions of dollars on local infrastructure upgrades and companies like SpaceXAI are even building off-grid power plants to power their data centers.

Google says its planned 780-megawatt data center in Pine Island, Minnesota, could offer a model for powering the AI boom. In a proposed agreement with Xcel Energy, Google says it will support 1,900 megawatts of new wind, solar and battery capacity, while minimum payments and exit fees are intended to protect local ratepayers if demand falls short.

CNBC examines whether projects like Pine Island can make the grid cleaner without shifting costs to existing customers, why some energy experts argue that smaller data centers could make better use of infrastructure already in place, and how utilities’ financial incentives can complicate efforts to build less.

Chapters:
0:00 – 2:06 Introduction
2:07 – 4:49 Off-grid solutions
4:50 – 9:00 Upgrading the grid
9:01 – 11:44 Smaller data centers

Produced by: Jeffrey Kopp
Senior Director of Video: Jeniece Pettitt
Tech Correspondent:  MacKenzie Sigalos
Edited by: Erin Black, Matt Soto
Camera: Donny Rowles
Animation: Jason Reginato, Emily Park

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The Race To Power AI Is Reshaping America’s Electric Grid

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A leak by Indian supplier Tata Electronics, purportedly of the yet-to-be-released iPhone 18 Pro models, has become marketing gold for the Chinese government. The Communist Party paper, The Global Times, is using the leak – caused by a cyberattack – as a cautionary tale for Apple and other American companies that are in the process of diversifying their supply chains away from China. CNBC’s Eunice Yoon reports.

00:58 Correction: The location tag should be Beijing, China.

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China’s Swagger After India’s iPhone 18 Leak

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Unstoppable demand for AI is leading to a capacity crunch on factory lines at the world’s leading chip manufacturer, Taiwan Semiconductor. And it could put a chokehold on AI’s ability to scale. Analysts tell CNBC that Nvidia, Apple, Broadcom, AMD and others are locked in an “extremely fierce” competition to get their GPUs, CPUs and custom AI chips made at TSMC. Capacity can’t come online fast enough, despite TSMC’s rush to build new fabs in Taiwan, Japan and Arizona, where has expanded investment to $265 billion. The strain has made one man at TSMC “the most popular person on the planet,” as chip start-ups and big name CEOs visit Taiwan to ask him for wafer allocation. It’s also created a rich opportunity for Intel, as customers look to the long-struggling foundry arm of the U.S. chip manufacturer for a second source.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:06 ‘Most popular person on the planet’
6:54 Making room for smaller players
9:10 Can new U.S. fabs ease the crunch?

Producer and Reporter: Katie Tarasov
Edited by: Matt Soto, Andrew Evers
Camera: Eddie Temborski, Robert Lampe, Evan Reinhardt
Senior Director of Video: Jeniece Pettitt
Animation: Jason Reginato, Emily Park
Additional Footage: Cerebras, D-Matrix, Getty Images, Intel, Nvidia, OpenAI, SpaceX, TSMC

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Why There’s An ‘Extremely Fierce’ Battle For TSMC’s Limited Chip Manufacturing Capacity

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Warner Music Group, the third-largest music label by market share, is tapping into the South Asian music movement with its latest venture.

CNBC’s Laya Neelakandan explains.

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Micron’s hometown of Boise, Idaho has a growing crop of newly minted millionaires.

The AI-driven memory boom is showing up in the form of job growth, new construction projects, a bustling dining scene and an influx in new residents.

CNBC’s Katie Tarasov explains. Find the full report in related video.

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