By Kaveh Aflaki on LinkedIn:
The World Has 11,800 Data Centers—Nearly 50% Are in the U.S.
A fascinating look at the global distribution of data centers reveals the United States as the clear leader:
🔹 5,381 data centers are in the U.S., making up nearly half of the world’s total.
🔹 Europe follows, led by Germany (521), the UK (514), and France (315).
🔹 Asia’s top players include China (449) and Japan (219), with India (152) showing strong growth.
🔹 Other key locations: Canada (336), Brazil (163), and Australia (68).
What This Means:
The U.S.’s dominance underscores its leadership in cloud computing, AI, and the digital economy—backed by massive infrastructure investments. But with AI, edge computing, and cloud demand soaring, will we see a more decentralized data center landscape?
One major challenge: Can electric grids keep up with the surging power needs of this industry?
Link to original post: https://tinyurl.com/38vswnxj
The World Has 11,800 Data Centers—Nearly 50% Are in the U.S.
A fascinating look at the global distribution of data centers reveals the United States as the clear leader:
🔹 5,381 data centers are in the U.S., making up nearly half of the world’s total.
🔹 Europe follows, led by Germany (521), the UK (514), and France (315).
🔹 Asia’s top players include China (449) and Japan (219), with India (152) showing strong growth.
🔹 Other key locations: Canada (336), Brazil (163), and Australia (68).
What This Means:
The U.S.’s dominance underscores its leadership in cloud computing, AI, and the digital economy—backed by massive infrastructure investments. But with AI, edge computing, and cloud demand soaring, will we see a more decentralized data center landscape?
One major challenge: Can electric grids keep up with the surging power needs of this industry?
Link to original post: https://tinyurl.com/38vswnxj
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have successfully finished the test phase and transitioned to parallel operation with the Synchronous Area of Continental Europe. The day before, the power systems of the Baltic states were disconnected from the power systems of russia and belarus and had been successfully operating for over 24 hours in an isolated mode.
European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity has declared this event to be a milestone. ”The synchronisation of the Baltic states with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area is an important step towards strengthening the energy independence and security of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It also underlines the power of European solidarity and cooperation in building a resilient and interconnected energy future,” noted Zbyněk Boldiš, ENTSO-E President.
Oleksii Brekht, Acting Chairman of the Management Board of the NPC Ukrenergo said,
“Transmission systems operators of the Baltic states considered professional advice of Ukrenergo representatives in the process of connecting to the European system. This is because our company has the unique experience of disconnecting from russian and belarussian power systems just hours before the full-scale invasion started. We ensured the stable operation of the power system in isolated mode for several weeks. We connected to ENTSO-E in the midst of military action. We congratulate our colleagues from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with the successful step towards securing their energy independence. We are ready to help our – I say so with no exaggeration – friends, considering all our experience”.
With transition to synchronous operation with the Continental Europe’s grid, the power systems of the Baltic states connected to the energy association, which provides electricity to over 400 million consumers.
Link to original post: https://tinyurl.com/22yv7dun
European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity has declared this event to be a milestone. ”The synchronisation of the Baltic states with the Continental Europe Synchronous Area is an important step towards strengthening the energy independence and security of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It also underlines the power of European solidarity and cooperation in building a resilient and interconnected energy future,” noted Zbyněk Boldiš, ENTSO-E President.
Oleksii Brekht, Acting Chairman of the Management Board of the NPC Ukrenergo said,
“Transmission systems operators of the Baltic states considered professional advice of Ukrenergo representatives in the process of connecting to the European system. This is because our company has the unique experience of disconnecting from russian and belarussian power systems just hours before the full-scale invasion started. We ensured the stable operation of the power system in isolated mode for several weeks. We connected to ENTSO-E in the midst of military action. We congratulate our colleagues from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with the successful step towards securing their energy independence. We are ready to help our – I say so with no exaggeration – friends, considering all our experience”.
With transition to synchronous operation with the Continental Europe’s grid, the power systems of the Baltic states connected to the energy association, which provides electricity to over 400 million consumers.
Link to original post: https://tinyurl.com/22yv7dun
New release by NREL (Jan. 2025)
37 pages in PDF: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy25osti/91518.pdf
37 pages in PDF: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy25osti/91518.pdf
📌 Fresh Off the Press! The latest issue of IEEE Electrification Magazine shines a spotlight on the future of Nuclear Power.
Click here to illuminate your knowledge: https://bit.ly/3HzoGdn
Click here to illuminate your knowledge: https://bit.ly/3HzoGdn
Thomas Edison was born on 11 February 1847 and remains one of history’s most revered inventors. His contributions have profoundly transformed our world, from inventing the light bulb and the phonograph to fostering global connectivity with the telegraph. Edison’s work continues to inspire the innovators of today, helping to lay the groundwork for a better tomorrow.
Free Cigre Webinar:
Thursday, February 20, 202512:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/59k254ce
Thursday, February 20, 202512:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/59k254ce
By Kaveh Aflaki:
🚀 Google Joins the AI Arms Race: $75 Billion for 2025 💰⚡—But Can the Grid Keep Up?
The AI infrastructure race is exploding, and Google just raised the stakes—announcing a 47% YoY increase in capital expenditures, reaching $75 billion in 2025. That’s just one piece of a $390B+ AI CapEx wave set to reshape both tech and energy markets.
🔑 AI Spending Breakdown for 2025:
💸 Google: $75B (up from $52.5B in 2024, a 47% increase!)
💸 Microsoft: $80B
💸 Amazon: At least $75B
💸 Meta: $60-$65B
💸 The Stargate Project (OpenAI, Oracle, Softbank, MGX): $100B per year
That’s $390B+ in AI infrastructure investment—and Stargate alone plans to spend $100B annually for four years.
💡 What’s Driving This?
🧠 The AI Revolution Is Here: As Sundar Pichai put it, “The opportunity space is as big as it comes, and that’s why you’re seeing us invest to meet that moment.”
📉 AI Costs Are Falling: Lower costs mean more use cases, fueling exponential adoption.
🔥 Jevons Paradox in Action: More efficiency doesn’t mean less energy consumption—it accelerates demand, driving even more significant infrastructure expansion.
⚡ But Where Will the Power Come From?
AI data centers are energy black holes, demanding gigawatts of power—and the grid isn’t ready.
🔹 Virginia (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta): Power demand could double by 2040, forcing utilities to build 20,000+ MW of new natural gas plants.
🔹 Iowa (Meta, Microsoft): Grid operators are warning of severe capacity constraints, with wind power struggling to keep up.
🔹 Texas (Stargate Project, Oracle, Amazon): Betting big on solar + batteries, but ERCOT’s grid reliability is already under pressure.
🔹 Oregon (Google, Amazon, Microsoft): Hydropower-dependent, but facing drought risks that could limit supply.
🔹 Georgia & North Carolina (Google, Microsoft, Meta): Rapid expansion, but leaning on natural gas as the dominant power source.
📢 The Big Question: Can the Grid Keep Up?
⚠️ AI power demand is surging, but grid expansion takes decades.
⚠️ Utilities are rushing to add fossil fuels, mostly Gas-based in the short-term and Nuclear in the long run, but what about all renewable energy interconnections on the queue?
⚠️ Who pays for this? Ratepayers are already subsidizing Big Tech’s energy appetite.
💬 Is this level of AI infrastructure investment sustainable? Will power constraints slow AI growth—or will AI reshape the energy industry? Let’s discuss.
Link to the original post: https://tinyurl.com/uzhthucv
🚀 Google Joins the AI Arms Race: $75 Billion for 2025 💰⚡—But Can the Grid Keep Up?
The AI infrastructure race is exploding, and Google just raised the stakes—announcing a 47% YoY increase in capital expenditures, reaching $75 billion in 2025. That’s just one piece of a $390B+ AI CapEx wave set to reshape both tech and energy markets.
🔑 AI Spending Breakdown for 2025:
💸 Google: $75B (up from $52.5B in 2024, a 47% increase!)
💸 Microsoft: $80B
💸 Amazon: At least $75B
💸 Meta: $60-$65B
💸 The Stargate Project (OpenAI, Oracle, Softbank, MGX): $100B per year
That’s $390B+ in AI infrastructure investment—and Stargate alone plans to spend $100B annually for four years.
💡 What’s Driving This?
🧠 The AI Revolution Is Here: As Sundar Pichai put it, “The opportunity space is as big as it comes, and that’s why you’re seeing us invest to meet that moment.”
📉 AI Costs Are Falling: Lower costs mean more use cases, fueling exponential adoption.
🔥 Jevons Paradox in Action: More efficiency doesn’t mean less energy consumption—it accelerates demand, driving even more significant infrastructure expansion.
⚡ But Where Will the Power Come From?
AI data centers are energy black holes, demanding gigawatts of power—and the grid isn’t ready.
🔹 Virginia (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta): Power demand could double by 2040, forcing utilities to build 20,000+ MW of new natural gas plants.
🔹 Iowa (Meta, Microsoft): Grid operators are warning of severe capacity constraints, with wind power struggling to keep up.
🔹 Texas (Stargate Project, Oracle, Amazon): Betting big on solar + batteries, but ERCOT’s grid reliability is already under pressure.
🔹 Oregon (Google, Amazon, Microsoft): Hydropower-dependent, but facing drought risks that could limit supply.
🔹 Georgia & North Carolina (Google, Microsoft, Meta): Rapid expansion, but leaning on natural gas as the dominant power source.
📢 The Big Question: Can the Grid Keep Up?
⚠️ AI power demand is surging, but grid expansion takes decades.
⚠️ Utilities are rushing to add fossil fuels, mostly Gas-based in the short-term and Nuclear in the long run, but what about all renewable energy interconnections on the queue?
⚠️ Who pays for this? Ratepayers are already subsidizing Big Tech’s energy appetite.
💬 Is this level of AI infrastructure investment sustainable? Will power constraints slow AI growth—or will AI reshape the energy industry? Let’s discuss.
Link to the original post: https://tinyurl.com/uzhthucv
PEO Conducting Technical Review.pdf
3.7 MB
How to conduct a Technical Review?
A PEO (Professional Engineers Ontario) publication which is very useful for engineering practitioners.
A PEO (Professional Engineers Ontario) publication which is very useful for engineering practitioners.
💡Did you happen to know? That IEEE Student members can add on an IEEE PES Essential Student membership for only US $1? It's true! You don't need a promo code.
Add IEEE PES Essential Student Membership Here: https://bit.ly/3jr6Sq3
IEEE PES membership includes the following & more!
📊 Free individual subscription to IEEE DataPort.
📚 Complimentary digital subscription to the new IEEE Sustainability magazine due to launch in May 2025.
View all membership benefits here: https://bit.ly/4aISz8Z
👷 IEEE PES student members elevating to High-Grade membership for the first time receive 50% off both IEEE and PES memberships. No promo code is needed!
Add IEEE PES Essential Student Membership Here: https://bit.ly/3jr6Sq3
IEEE PES membership includes the following & more!
📊 Free individual subscription to IEEE DataPort.
📚 Complimentary digital subscription to the new IEEE Sustainability magazine due to launch in May 2025.
View all membership benefits here: https://bit.ly/4aISz8Z
👷 IEEE PES student members elevating to High-Grade membership for the first time receive 50% off both IEEE and PES memberships. No promo code is needed!
Dive into the latest volume of IEEE Transactions on Power🔌 🔋 Systems! This comprehensive resource covers not only the analysis and operation of power systems but also delves into the planning, economics, and education of the field. Don't miss out!
Get your update here: https://bit.ly/3rSto20
Get your update here: https://bit.ly/3rSto20
IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid are now available here: https://bit.ly/3Re00Og
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The IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid is a cross-disciplinary journal aimed at disseminating the results of research on and development of the smart grid, which encompasses energy networks where prosumers, electric transportation, distributed energy resources, and communications are integral and interactive components, as in the case of microgrids and active distribution networks interfaced with transmission systems.
...
The IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid is a cross-disciplinary journal aimed at disseminating the results of research on and development of the smart grid, which encompasses energy networks where prosumers, electric transportation, distributed energy resources, and communications are integral and interactive components, as in the case of microgrids and active distribution networks interfaced with transmission systems.