Artificial intelligence is not only transforming technology, it is also redefining the worldwide energy economy. The most coveted resource is no longer oil, but the electricity necessary to train AI models and feed gigantic data centers. In fact, great technological ones, such as Microsoft, Millions of dollars have invested In data infrastructure, more than double what exxon and Chevron together plan to allocate to capital investments. Megawatts have become the new black gold.
The turn of the service oil companies. Petroleum service companies are going through a period of weakness. The number of land platforms in the United States has fallen since 2022, According to Enverus data cited by Wall Street Journal. Given this panorama, several firms – Solaris Energy Infrastructure, Liberty Energy, Atlas Energy Solutions, Prpetro and Profrac – have found an unexpected client: the great technological ones.
Its proposal is to reuse the experience acquired in the fracking to install independent electricity generation units, fed with natural gas, directly next to the data centers. The most visible case is Solaris, which has been associated with XAI to operate 900 megawatts of gas turbines in Memphis destined for the Colossus 2 supercomputer.
Unlike large oil companies, which seek to place their own gas in data centers, these service companies do not produce fuel. His commitment is to take advantage of his equipment and technical knowledge to transform from off-Grid electricity suppliers. In other words, while Majors try to give way to their production, services reinvent themselves to survive in a depressed market.
Position yourself quickly. While electric companies take up to four years to give access to the network, modular gas units that install these firms may be operational in less than two. In a sector that lives a counterreloj career to expand capacity, that difference is decisive. In addition, executives such as Liberty Energy highlight the certainty of prices offered by its generators against the volatility of the electricity supply, According to Wall Street Journal.
Downward pressure in oil. The OPEC+ policy also helps explain the turn of American companies. The poster, led by Saudi and Russia Arabia, is pumping more crude than the market demands, which keeps prices under pressure. As we have explained in Xatakathe strategy seeks to gain market share and, incidentally, favors the United States with cheaper gasoline that contains inflation. But this movement has a collateral effect: weakens the American fracking, which needs quotes of between $ 60 and $ 65 per barrel to be profitable, and pushes many of these companies to look for new customers, such as data centers.
Geopolitical volatility adds uncertainty. The last episode was the Israeli attack in Doha against Hamas leaders, which stirred the markets and forced the White House to give guarantees to caste to avoid an escalation. Although the immediate impact on the supply was limited, the episode recalled the fragile of the current balance. In the opinion of the analyst Javier Blasbeyond specific tensions, what we live is not an accelerated substitution of fossil fuels, but a ENERGY ADDITION: Renewables grow, but oil and gas continue to increase their weight in the mix, which prolongs the dependence of these sources and reinforces their role in the energy fever that unleashes artificial intelligence.
Beyond. The phenomenon goes far beyond oil services in the United States. Startups like Crusoe Energy They have gone from mine bitcoin to lift data centers next to gas wells to take advantage of a fuel that was designed before. The firm already participates in the Openai, SoftBank and Oracle Stargate megaproject with 360 megawatts of capacity. Large oil companies are also looking for their site: Exxonmobil and Chevron They are developing off-Grid plants With carbon capture systems, while in Europe the Italian eni promotes “green” artificial intelligence and CO₂ storage businesses supported by its HPC5 supercomputer.
The movement even reaches turbine manufacturers, such as Siemens Energy, that has doubled orders Thanks to the data centers boom. For its part, the unavoidable geopolitical dimension must be taken into account: countries like Russia, Iran and Qatar They concentrate more than half of world reserves of natural gas. In a context in which AI demands a constant and reliable electricity supply, this fuel is consolidated as a strategic asset, key not only for the technological industry, but also for the balance of global energy power.
An electric future, but fossil. The figures point to accelerated growth. As we have detailed in Xatakathe demand for gas for data centers will increase by 47 GW until 2030. In the United States, the electrical consumption of these facilities could triple, from 290 TWH in 2024 to more than 700 SWH in 2030.
The International Energy Agency, According to Javier Blasprepare scenarios where oil and gas consumption will not reach its peak, but will continue to grow up to 2050. Natural gas, in particular, remains the most reliable source to meet demand peaks.
Not everything is opportunities. How Wall Street Journal warnsmodular generation projects have several limitations. Its temporal character is the first: many data centers could resort to these solutions such as a patch for a few years and then replace them with renewables or even nuclear reactors. To this is added the economic aspect: although the modular turbines are installed quickly, they are less efficient than the large combined cycle plants, which implies greater fuel and replacement costs.
There is also the risk of social rejection, as has already been seen in Memphis, where the installation of XAI turbines has generated protests on air pollution. Finally, the ease of replicating this technology can make it a very competitive market, with narrow margins and little space for sustainable advantages.
The new black gold. The AI has changed the rules of the energy game. Startups, turbine manufacturers, petroleter majors and fracking suppliers are converging towards the same objective: feeding the electrical appetite of data centers.
In this new scenario, what was once oil today are megawatts. The battle for who will provide that reliable and abundant energy will mark both the future of artificial intelligence and that of the energy transition itself. The unknown is whether this new black gold will be a lasting business or just a passing fever, until the network and renewables reach AI.
Image | Freepik
Xataka | Saudi Arabia plays with fire: he wants more fee, content Trump and finance his energy transition
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings