AI Data Centres Plan 181GW of New Gas Power Plants

New AI datacentres need huge amounts of electricity.

Some developers now plan gas power stations on-site.

Why do they want power stations there?

They face long waits for grid connections.

The grid is the national electricity network.

So, they want to make electricity themselves.

How big are these plans?

They are very large.

Plans cover the US, UK, and Europe.

They could create 181 gigawatts of gas power.

That is almost four times Great Britain's highest electricity use.

And gas power creates pollution.

Yes, it releases carbon dioxide into the air.

BloombergNEF, a research group, studied the plans.

It said most planned gas stations are in the US.

The US has 90% of them.

What could that mean for the climate?

The stations could produce much more pollution.

The report gave a possible yearly figure.

It said 345 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

That figure depends on the plans going ahead.

Why do AI datacentres use so much power?

They run many computer servers.

They also cool the equipment.

They need power for other building systems too.

Will this need for electricity grow?

The report expects major growth by 2035.

AI datacentres could use 7% of world electricity then.

Are the gas stations only a short-term plan?

Developers say they are temporary.

They say they will wait for grid connections.

However, the report sees a longer-term risk.

Gas power may continue because it makes financial sense.

So, what does the report say is better?

It says faster grid connections are important.

It also says new clean power is important.

That could limit pollution from future datacentres.

Thank you, Mia.

Our second story is about TSMC and AI investment plans.

Jack is LinguaWire's correspondent for society.

Hello, Daniel.

TSMC is a chip maker from Taiwan.

Its board approved plans for AI investments.

How much money could TSMC invest?

It could invest up to one billion dollars.

The money would go to OpenAI and Anthropic.

How would the money be shared?

TSMC could put up to 500 million dollars into OpenAI.

It could put another 500 million into Anthropic.

What would TSMC get from these investments?

It would own shares in both companies.

Shares are small parts of a company.

Are the two investments the same?

No, they are different.

TSMC could buy preferred stock in OpenAI.

That stock is for large investors.

It could buy Anthropic shares at its expected IPO price.

What is an IPO?

It is when a company sells shares publicly for the first time.

Why is this plan important?

TSMC already makes many chips for AI work.

Its factories make most Nvidia AI chips.

Nvidia designs those chips for AI datacentres.

So, TSMC helps make the hardware for AI.

Yes, and it has gained from growing AI demand.

It also makes many Apple chips.

Where are TSMC's factories?

Most are in Taiwan.

It also has factories in Japan and China.

Its US factory group in Arizona is growing.

It is building a new factory in Germany too.

What concern do analysts have?

They warn about circular financing.

Investors, suppliers, and customers can all support each other.

This can make real AI demand harder to judge.

Thank you, Jack.

Part one: vocabulary.

Invest.

To invest means to put money into a business or project. In the story, “It could invest up to one billion dollars.”

They want to invest in a small company.

Buy.

To buy means to pay money to get something. In the story, “TSMC could buy preferred stock in OpenAI.”

I want to buy a new computer.

Own.

To own means to have something as your property. In the story, “It would own shares in both companies.”

My family owns a small shop.

Part two: the grammar.

Want to plus a verb: “So, they want to make electricity themselves.”

Use want to plus a verb to say what someone wants to do.

In the story, “So, they want to make electricity themselves.”

I want to learn English.

Repeat after me: So, they want to make electricity themselves.