Grid expansion for AI data centers faces regulatory complexity tech executives lack in other industries
Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Elon Musk need sign-off from fewer than a dozen board members to commit their companies to multibillion-dollar moves. The power plants that supply their data centers need sign-off from 13 states (plus D.C.), thousands of generators, millions of customers, and a federal…
First covered Jun 29, 2026 · 7:34 AM PT
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Thinking Like an Engineer Won’t Fix the Grid
— Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Elon Musk need sign-off from fewer than a dozen board members to commit their companies to multibillion-dollar moves. The power…
Discussion
Bluesky:
@volts.wtf
David Roberts · 3d ago · 64 ♥
"The electricity grid is not an engineering problem with coordination problems attached. It is a coordination problem with engineering problems embedded in it."
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2026-06-29 (#11) · 2026-06-30 (#18)
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