US LNG exporters may struggle to meet rising demand driven by AI development — Reuters

US exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) could face challenges due to surging electricity demand fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence. According to Reuters, US LNG facilities may struggle to handle such an increase in demand, which could disrupt their operations and lead to higher natural gas prices in the country, the news agency reports.

The world's top technology companies, such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, are investing tens of billions of dollars in data centers to support AI development. This requires a huge amount of energy, and its consumption will only grow further, Reuters predicts.

According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), US data center demand is expected to rise by about 240 terawatt-hours between 2024 and 2030. This is the equivalent for the total global power consumption for AI technology development in 2022.

Another critical aspect of data center operations is the stringent reliability requirements for power supply. As renewable energy technologies cannot yet match the stability of natural gas, LNG will remain in demand for a long period of time.