By Former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

Love it, hate it or fear it – artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise. ChatGPT catapulted the technology into the public sphere in 2022 and in the latest McKinsey Global Survey on AI, 65% of organizations reported they are regularly using it.

AI has use cases across industries. Government employees can speed up time-consuming tasks, warehouse managers can simplify logistics planning, and doctors can anticipate patient needs. It is even playing a role in combating climate change, with ocean clean-ups and emissions tracking as just some examples.

During my time in the U.S. Senate, I chaired the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and saw first-hand how a robust energy supply is needed to support domestic manufacturing and cutting-edge technology. Despite the Biden-Harris Administration pursuing key next steps on AI and Congress releasing a bipartisan roadmap for AI policy, one problem remains on my mind: how will our country stay at the technological forefront relative to America’s adversaries and competitors, if we can’t keep up with the immense electric demand it requires?

On average, an AI Google search needs nearly 10 times the amount of energy as a normal Google search. AI is projected to require seven times more power than New York City’s annual electricity consumption by 2030, and currently on a global scale these data centers combined consume more power than all but 16 countries. Because of AI, some estimate a 40% increase in overall US electricity demand by 2030 after decades of flat growth, even while the country debates how to replace just the existing electricity with more carbon-free power.

One Princeton University estimate found, even before the AI boom, the U.S. would need a costly 60% expansion of the power grid by 2030 – new solar panels, wind turbines, thousands of miles of transmission lines – to meet aggressive net-zero goals without traditional fuels like natural gas. That is a monumental task, particularly because the heavy industries that we need to accomplish that – steel, cement and more – need natural gas to produce those materials, too.

Natural gas is affordable, abundant, reliable and ready to turn on now to meet this demand. It also has bipartisan support, with 69% of Americans supporting its increased use including majorities of Democrats.

Natural gas is projected to supply 60% of the power demand by 2030, according to a Goldman Sachs report. The key hurdle won’t be supply chains, it will be government delays in approving new infrastructure and power generation. And the longer we wait, the more grid reliability becomes a bigger concern, along with ceding technological ground to China.

In order to ensure technological innovation in the United States that creates jobs, controls emissions and provides steady power, we need natural gas working alongside renewables. With today’s AI power demands, it’s just the latest reason for Congress to act in a bipartisan way on permitting reform to streamline energy infrastructure buildout.

Natural gas is already driving growth by powering massive data center build outs throughout the South and Midwest. Data centers are designed to handle the large computing demands of AI workloads, making them essential for our country’s AI future. Southern states together account for 41% of the nation’s data centers – with the heaviest presence in Virginia, Texas, Florida and Georgia. By 2030, northern Virginia alone expects 11 GW of new data centers, which represents more than 40% of the state’s current peak demand.

In Georgia, data center construction in metro Atlanta has increased 211% since 2023, and a 17-fold increase is anticipated in industrial power demand over the next decade, propelling the fastest growth among major data center markets in the country. An industry report found these Georgia projects in 2021 alone created over $5 billion in economic activity, along with 3,480 onsite jobs and 1,020 construction jobs. More activity is coming, as Microsoft recently proposed a $1.8 billion investment in a 2.1 million square foot data center campus outside Atlanta.

Energy companies are bracing for how to maintain momentum. In April, state regulators approved Georgia Power’s plan to build natural gas power plants and solar battery energy facilities to meet increasing demands from data centers. This combination of natural gas and renewable energy perfectly demonstrates the energy future that will keep America moving forward that is cleaner, reliable and affordable.

Natural gas made up over 43% of U.S. electricity generation in 2023, more than double that of renewables. Congress must act quickly in a bipartisan way to streamline natural gas and renewable permitting, so we can achieve a lower-carbon, reliable and affordable energy future that keeps the United States competitive on the world stage.

Mary Landrieu served three terms in the U.S. Senate (1997-2015) where she chaired the prominent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future Leadership Council.