I’ve had some thoughtful conversations following my article on the "Structured Transition Model for AI Data Centre Power".
In simple terms - install for reliability and optionality, facilitate carbon pathway reductions over time, and finally reposition systems for grid support and resilience.
What’s been most interesting is that the discussion hasn’t really been about fuel choices at all.
Instead, it keeps coming back to a deeper question:
How do we design infrastructure today so it can adapt over its lifetime?
A few themes have come up repeatedly:
• AI workloads are unlikely to remain static - load patterns, utilisation, and density will evolve
• Grid conditions and policy expectations will change faster than most infrastructure lifecycles
• Long-life assets will inevitably have to rebalance the energy trilemma - reliability, sustainability and cost - not just optimise for one at deployment
That reinforces for me that this isn’t a theoretical issue, it’s already part of real project decision-making.
I’m interested to learn:
Where are you seeing the biggest tension today between immediate power delivery and long-term adaptability?
Would really value perspectives from developers, operators, utilities, planners, investors, or anyone working close to these decisions.
Read about the the model below:
https://lnkd.in/gEM6k9RG
#datacenter #powerevolution #energytransition
