Congress must invest in natural gas so that artificial intelligence can flourish

AI is essential to the next wave of innovation in technology and entrepreneurship. The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 captured the public’s attention, but AI has already permeated major industries. Fifty percent of global organizations reported adopting AI in at least one business area in 2022. AI has the potential to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

The new technology has applications for both blue-collar and white-collar workers. Producers can identify problems faster, farmers can find possible causes of poor yields, lawyers can test arguments for strength, and doctors can anticipate patients’ needs. AI also has applications in the fight against climate change, including mapping the effects of deforestation and tracking more waste for recycling.

The Biden administration is taking key next steps on AI to ensure the United States remains globally competitive and outpaces hostile global competitors like China. A bipartisan approach to AI is supported by Congress, as shown by the release of a bipartisan AI policy roadmap by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

The primary bottleneck for AI’s future in the United States, however, is its massive energy requirements. By 2030, the technology is expected to require seven times more energy than New York City’s annual electricity consumption. That’s because every Google search about AI requires 10 times more energy than a regular Google search. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, natural gas is expected to meet 60% of energy needs, with renewables making up the remaining 40% by 2030. That’s on top of the already massive 60% expansion of the power grid that Princeton University says is necessary to achieve ambitious net-zero emissions goals.

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To advance the United States, we need energy to power AI. Aside from renewable energy, natural gas is the most pragmatic solution due to its reliability, affordability, and bipartisan support.

AI is already ushering in a new wave of job opportunities in areas once shunned in favor of coastal cities. Central Ohio, now called the Silicon Heartland, is home to data centers for Amazon, Meta, and Google, among others. Data center space grew 146% between 2012 and 2021, and Intel broke ground in 2022 on a $20 billion chipmaking plant in New Albany that is expected to employ more than 3,000 people.

As a former Ohio congressman, I am proud that my home state’s economy is growing with new technology. At the same time, this new growth has raised alarm bells about future energy demand, with utility AEP Ohio forecasting 20% annual load growth and asking for longer data center contracts to cover costs.

The economic growth from AI development can only be sustained if Congress agrees to provide sufficient energy resources to power these technologies. That requires federal permitting reform to speed up the process of building transmission lines and pipes in a way that protects our environment, moves energy to where it’s needed, and keeps America moving.

While I share my Democratic colleagues’ enthusiasm for expanding renewable energy, we also need to be realistic about how quickly this can be done reliably at the scale necessary to achieve technological competitiveness.

Tech companies won’t wait decades for renewable energy to catch up; they need a partnership with natural gas.

AI is transforming healthcare, research, education, and more, but we can’t sustain these transformations without expanding our natural gas industry to power these data centers. These emerging technologies are essential to growing the U.S. economy and protecting freedom around the world.

It’s time to act, Congress. The U.S. economy is hanging by a thread.

Tim Ryan served 10 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2023. He is co-chair of the Leadership Council of Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future