The annual EarthX conference in Dallas brought together climate advocates as well as political, cultural and business leaders from around the globe to discuss the next chapter of environmental leadership.
Now in its 15th year, the three-day event featured discussions covering a range of topics from ocean conservation to the bioeconomy and sustainable energy.
One big topic this year was data centers and energy use. Texas is poised to become the top market for data centers in the coming years, and speakers at the conference said that'll require new sources of energy.
“Nuclear generation is going to be part of the solution set going forward,” said Bill Thomas, chief energy officer for CleanArc Data Centers. “It's not going to be part of the solution set next year or in three years, but it will be part of a solution set.”
Thomas spoke to attendees during the first day of the conference in a session focused on the clean energy race to power data centers.
“I believe that our ability to win the AI supremacy race depends on our ability to build that infrastructure and support the AI world,” Thomas said.
Texas isn’t known as a nuclear hub, but Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this month said the state “must boost” its advanced nuclear capacity. Last year lawmakers passed legislation creating a new office for nuclear energy as well as the $350 million dollar Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund.
Wayne Christian, a Republican who sits on the state’s Railroad Commission, said staying competitive in the AI race means finding a variety of energy sources including fossil fuels, wind, solar and nuclear power.
“We've got to come together as a country and understand that our goal is to supply the energy to keep our lives doing what we want the future to be,” Christian said during a panel discussion.
There’s still a lot of concern on how fast data centers are being built across the state. Last week Texas’ grid operator projected demand could quadruple by 2032, much of it from large-scale data centers, though that will likely be revised.
While the amount of energy those data centers use is a major issue, some at the conference said there could also be an environmental benefit, at least with AI.
“AI could be a tool for solving some of these very complex challenges that the planet faces,” EarthX CEO Peter Simek told KERA. “[That means] understanding how to balance ecosystems, understanding how to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and sort of at least mitigate some of the effects of global warming.”
Simek added that although there’s skepticism about the climate benefits to AI, it’s about finding the right balance of AI use and clean energy solutions.
“You can recognize the tool and you know that it's coming and it's here to stay,” Simek said. “But if we're going to deploy it, how can we do that responsibly?”
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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