Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to act to help the United States compete with China in the artificial‑intelligence sector, according to gdelt. At the same time, datacenters were reported to be driving unprecedented growth in the U.S. clean‑energy industry, as noted by the Guardian.

Tech companies and data‑center developers welcomed the chance for faster connections to the country’s power supply, gdelt reported. Utilities, states and regional grid operators expressed concern that the Republican administration’s plan would remove their authority to manage the process, also according to gdelt.

The Guardian reported that datacenter connections to electric grids were being held up, prompting big‑tech firms to invest in producing their own power. The same outlet noted that datacenters were propelling wind, solar and other clean‑energy companies.

AI data centers were reported to be multiplying across the Mountain West, according to kunr.org, and fears over water use were increasing as the facilities expanded, kunr.org added. The Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, located in the high desert of northern Nevada, was described by kunr.org as a global hub for advanced manufacturing and warehousing that is transforming into one of the biggest data‑center markets in the world.