Stanford Energy Seminar | Techno-economic assessment of energy solutions to power U.S. AI infrastructure and the policy implications for broader electrification | Costa Samaras, Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University

The Stanford Energy Seminar has been a mainstay of energy engagement at Stanford for nearly 20 years and is one of the flagship programs of the Precourt Institute for Energy. We aim to bring a wide variety of perspectives to the Stanford community – academics, entrepreneurs, utilities, non-profits, and more. 

About the talk

Expanding data center infrastructure to train and deploy artificial intelligence (AI) models is driving a surge in electricity demand in the U.S., and associated impacts for costs, emissions, and resource use. The electric infrastructure buildout from this AI growth will influence the capabilities and feasibility of broader electrification. We develop an open-source end-to-end techno-economic model of energy solutions to power AI infrastructure across the continental U.S. and compare grid-connected and off-grid data center energy infrastructure using AC-coupled solar and storage, DC-coupled solar and storage, behind the meter natural gas, and conventional grid power across the continental U.S. To estimate opportunity costs of construction and equipment delays, we quantify the deployment speed value of AI data centers using GPU spot market rental prices. We discuss the technical, policy, and environmental implications of these different pathways to power U.S. data centers. 

Dr. Costa Samaras is the Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, and the Trustee Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and in the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. He analyzes how technologies and policies affect energy and emissions pathways, security, climate resilience, and economic and equity outcomes. From 2021-2024, he served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as Principal Assistant Director for Energy, OSTP Chief Advisor for Energy Policy, and then OSTP Chief Advisor for the Clean Energy Transition. He was previously a Senior National Security Researcher at the RAND Corporation as well as a megaprojects engineer in New York City. He received a joint Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon.

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