How AI Data Centers Are Pushing the U.S. Toward a Fragile Winter

U.S. regulators are warning that the rapid expansion of AI-powered data centers has significantly increased national electricity demand heading into winter, heightening the risk of blackouts during severe cold snaps.

According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), U.S. power consumption has risen by 20 gigawatts since last winter, an unusually large jump attributed primarily to the rapid growth of data-center infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

While the U.S. grid is expected to function under normal weather conditions, regulators caution that a strong polar-vortex-type event could strain the system in multiple regions, including Texas, the Southeast, the Pacific Northwest and New England.

Winter presents added challenges because solar generation is limited, natural-gas pipelines can freeze or bottleneck, and battery storage performance declines in extreme cold.

Texas remains a top concern following its deadly 2021 winter grid failure, while New England continues to face long-standing natural-gas supply constraints.

Regulators emphasize the need for increased grid capacity, better planning, and stronger winterization as electricity consumption accelerates.