Nvidia and Amazon are directing billions of dollars into energy infrastructure to meet the demand of artificial intelligence (AI). According to The Information, Nvidia will invest up to US$ 3 billion in Lancium, the developer of energy infrastructure for the OpenAI and Oracle data center in Texas. Amazon, in turn, according to The New York Times, supports the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Pecos County, Texas, that could emit up to 33 million tons of CO₂ per year, making it the most polluting in the country.
In Lancium, a US$ 2 billion stake would give Nvidia about 20% of the company, valued at approximately US$ 10 billion. Lancium already has four gigawatts of contracted energy in Texas and is developing sites for up to 15 additional gigawatts.
Amazon's power plant will feature 35 gas turbines, with capacity to generate up to 7.65 gigawatts of electricity for one of the company's data centers.
Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan said the company's climate goals remain, but acknowledged that AI data centers could make meeting them harder.
Environmental groups are raising alarms about health risks and pollution. Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather estimates that a heavy user of agentic AI consumes as much energy per year as a clothes dryer — and consumption keeps growing.
