Meta Ventures into Electricity Trading to Power AI Expansion

Meta is stepping into electricity markets to secure long-term power for its AI data centers, signaling a strategic shift as tech giants grapple with soaring energy demands. The company's MOVE underscores a broader industry challenge: traditional power procurement can't keep pace with the voracious needs of artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Urvi Parekh, Meta's global energy chief, framed the decision as necessary intervention. Developers won't build new plants without committed buyers, she noted, and utilities aren't moving fast enough to meet tech's exponential power requirements. The Louisiana data hub alone will require three new gas-fired plants from Entergy—a snapshot of the scaling crisis.

This isn't just Meta's problem. Microsoft and Google face identical constraints as AI models grow more power-hungry. Bloomberg forecasts data center electricity consumption could quadruple by 2034, turning energy procurement into a competitive advantage. With prices outpacing inflation, Meta's trading play aims to lock in supply and hedge against both scarcity and political backlash.