Latest news with #power
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Trump plans executive orders to power AI growth in race with China
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is readying a package of executive actions aimed at boosting energy supply to power the U.S. expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), according to four sources familiar with the planning. Top economic rivals U.S. and China are locked in a technological arms race and with it secure an economic and military edge. The huge amount of data processing behind AI requires a rapid increase in power supplies that are straining utilities and grids in many states. The moves under consideration include making it easier for power-generating projects to connect to the grid and providing federal land on which to build the data centers needed to expand AI technology, according to the sources. The administration will also release an AI action plan and schedule public events to draw public attention to the efforts, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Training large-scale AI models requires a huge amount of electricity, and the industry's growth is driving the first big increase in U.S. power demand in decades. Between 2024 and 2029, U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow at five times the rate predicted in 2022, according to power-sector consultancy Grid Strategies. Meanwhile, power demand from AI data centers could grow more than thirtyfold by 2035, according to a new report by consultancy Deloitte. Building and connecting new power generation to the grid, however, has been a major hurdle because such projects require extensive impact studies that can take years to complete, and existing transmission infrastructure is overwhelmed. Among the ideas under consideration by the administration is to identify more fully developed power projects and move them higher on the waiting list for connection, two of the sources said. Siting data centers has also been challenging because larger facilities require a lot of space and resources and can face zoning obstacles or public opposition. The executive orders could provide a solution to that by offering land managed by the Defense Department or Interior Department to project developers, the sources said. The administration is also considering streamlining permitting for data centers by creating a nationwide Clean Water Act permit, rather than requiring companies to seek permits on a state-by-state basis, according to one of the sources. In January, Trump hosted top tech CEOs at the White House to highlight the Stargate Project, a multi-billion effort led by ChatGPT's creator OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to build data centers and create more than 100,000 jobs in the U.S. Trump has prioritized winning the AI race against China and declared on his first day in office a national energy emergency aimed at removing all regulatory obstacles to oil and gas drilling, coal and critical mineral mining, and building new gas and nuclear power plants to bring more energy capacity online. He also ordered his administration in January to produce an AI Action Plan that would make 'America the world capital in artificial intelligence' and reduce regulatory barriers to its rapid expansion. That report, which includes input from the National Security Council, is due by July 23. The White House is considering making July 23 'AI Action Day' to draw attention to the report and demonstrate its commitment to expanding the industry, two of the sources said. Trump is scheduled to speak at an AI and energy event in Pennsylvania on July 15 hosted by Senator Dave McCormick. Amazon earlier this month announced it would invest $20 billion in data centers in two Pennsylvania counties. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Richard Valdmanis and Marguerita Choy)
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Trump plans executive orders to power AI growth in race with China
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is readying a package of executive actions aimed at boosting energy supply to power the U.S. expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), according to four sources familiar with the planning. Top economic rivals U.S. and China are locked in a technological arms race and with it secure an economic and military edge. The huge amount of data processing behind AI requires a rapid increase in power supplies that are straining utilities and grids in many states. The moves under consideration include making it easier for power-generating projects to connect to the grid and providing federal land on which to build the data centers needed to expand AI technology, according to the sources. The administration will also release an AI action plan and schedule public events to draw public attention to the efforts, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Training large-scale AI models requires a huge amount of electricity, and the industry's growth is driving the first big increase in U.S. power demand in decades. Between 2024 and 2029, U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow at five times the rate predicted in 2022, according to power-sector consultancy Grid Strategies. Meanwhile, power demand from AI data centers could grow more than thirtyfold by 2035, according to a new report by consultancy Deloitte. Building and connecting new power generation to the grid, however, has been a major hurdle because such projects require extensive impact studies that can take years to complete, and existing transmission infrastructure is overwhelmed. Among the ideas under consideration by the administration is to identify more fully developed power projects and move them higher on the waiting list for connection, two of the sources said. Siting data centers has also been challenging because larger facilities require a lot of space and resources and can face zoning obstacles or public opposition. The executive orders could provide a solution to that by offering land managed by the Defense Department or Interior Department to project developers, the sources said. The administration is also considering streamlining permitting for data centers by creating a nationwide Clean Water Act permit, rather than requiring companies to seek permits on a state-by-state basis, according to one of the sources. In January, Trump hosted top tech CEOs at the White House to highlight the Stargate Project, a multi-billion effort led by ChatGPT's creator OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to build data centers and create more than 100,000 jobs in the U.S. Trump has prioritized winning the AI race against China and declared on his first day in office a national energy emergency aimed at removing all regulatory obstacles to oil and gas drilling, coal and critical mineral mining, and building new gas and nuclear power plants to bring more energy capacity online. He also ordered his administration in January to produce an AI Action Plan that would make 'America the world capital in artificial intelligence' and reduce regulatory barriers to its rapid expansion. That report, which includes input from the National Security Council, is due by July 23. The White House is considering making July 23 'AI Action Day' to draw attention to the report and demonstrate its commitment to expanding the industry, two of the sources said. Trump is scheduled to speak at an AI and energy event in Pennsylvania on July 15 hosted by Senator Dave McCormick. Amazon earlier this month announced it would invest $20 billion in data centers in two Pennsylvania counties. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Richard Valdmanis and Marguerita Choy)
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
History is Repeating Itself in Libya
As an old Arab proverb goes: 'With your people, you won't perish.' Without the protection and support of one's people, ruin becomes inevitable. A small problem arises, however, when we seek to determine who counts among 'your people', especially to those in power. Does the term refer strictly to one's kin (family, clan, or tribe) or does it encompass all citizens? The difference between the two is clear: the former is defined by blood ties alone, while the latter definition is broader. In the summer of 1975, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi settled the power struggle within the Revolutionary Command Council by eliminating his rivals and thwarting the coup they had been plotting against him. He then managed to fully dominate the council, the army, and the country, monopolizing power and becoming the country's only eagle. Reflecting on this bloody episode, one gets the impression that Gaddafi had been following this proverb. He turned to his people for support, placing his cousins in key positions to consolidate power and ensure his survival. Later, he was compelled to widen the circle slightly, bringing in other regions and reviving old kinship networks. That is how Gaddafi chose to fortify the foundations of his rule. This perverse approach plunged Libya into a dark period of regionalism and factionalism: alliances that had been formed under Italian colonial rule (and that had made it easier for the Italians to crush the resistance movement in the west of the country) were revived. Since 2011, history has seemingly been repeating itself. After Libya had come close to becoming a country for all Libyans without exception, it was captured by militias and terrorists who split the spoils of the nation's wealth among themselves. Corruption exploded, chaos broadened, and fuel, medicine, and food were smuggled across the borders. The entire country fell to these gangs that made people's lives miserable. Anyone following developments in Libya can clearly see that the same vile and futile game is now being repeated in both the East and the West. One could even argue that Gaddafi's actions in Libya were also mirrored by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, albeit in an iteration of the British context, which is of course different from Libya's. In other words, regional loyalties replaced partisan commitments in similar ways in Britain. I recall that British journalist Hugo Young was the first to point this out in his book One of Us, which caused quite a stir and won several awards. In post-Gaddafi Libya, history seems to be repeating itself in a dramatic fashion, as we noted earlier. The new political elites chose to follow Gaddafi's path. This is evident in both Cyrenaica and Fezzan and even more so in Tripoli. The government in Tripoli cannot overpower its rivals and take full control. That is why its prime minister recently sought to compensate for its weakness by turning to regional loyalties, allying with armed groups from Misrata. During a visit to the city shortly after Eid al-Adha, he and these factions agreed to cooperate on a joint military campaign to eliminate rogue armed factions in Tripoli. The irony is that the head of Tripoli's government plans to expel armed groups by bringing in other armed groups from outside the city. Pulling Misrata in, through this alliance with some of its militias, will engender animosity between the city and Tripoli. Overcoming the grudges could be impossible. The implicit goal of this operation is, first, to ensure the survival of the Government of National Unity. Second, it aims to generate a state of chaos and instability to prevent the UN from forming a new interim government tasked with organizing parliamentary and presidential elections.
Car and Driver
2 days ago
- General
- Car and Driver
View Exterior Photos of the 2026 Bentley Continental GT/GTC
But just as curb weights have gone up, so has power, in an attempt to keep things on an even keel.
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
N.B. Power review panel touts independence in first public meeting
N.B. Power review panel touts independence in first public meeting News Duration 1:50 The three people appointed to provide options for the future of the utility took questions from the public for the first time in an hour-long virtual session.
