.jpg)
3 hours ago
2
Article content
(Bloomberg) — Amazon.com Inc. alleges that a Berkshire Hathaway Inc.-owned utility in Oregon is failing to provide sufficient power for four new data center facilities, highlighting the strain rapid expansion of technology facilities is putting on the electric grid.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
- Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.
- Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.
- Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.
- National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
- Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.
- Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.
- Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.
- National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
- Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
- Access articles from across Canada with one account.
- Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
- Enjoy additional articles per month.
- Get email updates from your favourite authors.
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
- Access articles from across Canada with one account
- Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
- Enjoy additional articles per month
- Get email updates from your favourite authors
Sign In or Create an Account
or
Article content
Amazon lodged a complaint last week with the Public Utility Commission of Oregon alleging that Portland-based PacifiCorp breached obligations that date back to 2021 to provide sufficient power for the projects. Amazon said the company provided insufficient power for one data campus, no power for a second campus and “has refused to even complete its own standard contracting process for the third and fourth Data Center Campuses.”
Article content
Article content
Article content
Amazon data centers are used for cloud computing, mobile apps and streaming services.
Article content
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Article content
The dispute arrives at a moment when President Donald Trump is putting the full weight of the US government behind speeding up the development of artificial intelligence data centers along with the energy supplies needed to power them. Electricity demand from AI computing is expected to more than double in the US by 2035, according to an analysis from BloombergNEF.
Article content
Amazon had no immediate comment. Representatives of PacifiCorp didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Article content
Big tech firms and power companies have been forced into a symbiotic relationship by the massive electricity consumption of data centers and AI. Utilities are eager to build infrastructure and sell power to new deep-pocketed tech customers, but are also struggling to protect other customers from bill increases as well as themselves in the event the AI boom turns out to be a bubble.
Article content
—With assistance from Michelle Ma and Josh Saul.
Article content
(Updates with background in the last paragraph.)
Article content
English (US)