How companies are balancing AI data center energy demand and sustainability

How companies are balancing AI data center energy demand and sustainability

May 22, 2026 · 33 min · Season 8 · Episode 24

About this episode

This episode explores how companies are addressing the energy demands of AI-driven data centers while maintaining sustainability and community welfare.

The rapid expansion of AI-driven data centers is putting unprecedented pressure on energy supply, emissions and water availa bility. At the start of 2026, S&P Global named AI and data center g row th as a top sustainability trend to watch, and it was a dominant theme at both Climate Week Zurich and CERAWeek 2026 in Houston, where the conference title was "Convergence and Competition." In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we explore how the tech and energy industries are converging to meet the growing power demand s of AI while also protecting the planet an d local comm unities . In three interviews from the sidelines of CERAWeek , we ask how companies can deliver reliable energy to power AI without sidelining affordability, emissions, water and community concerns . Arshad Mansoor, President and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) , explains how the research organization is convening stakeholders across the energy ecosystem to mee t growing energy demand. "Without convergence, without the stakeholders coming together to solve critical policy issues, technical issues , regulatory hurdles, we will not be able to bring speed to power," Arshad…

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Guests: Arshad Mansoor, Alexis Bateman

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Organizations: Electric Power Research Institute, Amazon Web Services

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