Decentralized Infrastructure Key to U.S. AI Competitiveness Amid Rising Energy Demands

AI has transitioned from an emerging technology to a foundational pillar of modern society, reshaping industries from healthcare to defense. The infrastructure supporting this revolution, however, is failing to keep pace. U.S. data centers consumed approximately 200 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024—equivalent to Thailand's annual power consumption. Projections suggest AI could demand up to 326 terawatt-hours by 2028, straining energy grids already struggling with incremental scaling.

This shortfall threatens to throttle AI's transformative potential across sectors. While the U.S. currently leads in AI development, China's rapid progress with models like DeepSeek R1 demonstrates how computational efficiency could redraw the global balance of power. The race hinges on solving infrastructure bottlenecks through decentralized solutions that can match AI's exponential demand curves.