Demand for electricity is soaring: how can our power systems keep up?

Global demand for electricity is soaring, as wars in Ukraine and Iran squeeze fossil fuel supply chains and the race for AI makes data centres a significant power consumer.

Divya Reddy, Manager of Energy Initiatives at the World Economic Forum sets out the challenge, and Varun Sivaram, Founder and CEO of Emerald AI explains how data centres can be made "good citizens to communities and power grids alike".

Links:

World Economic Forum Centre for Energy and Materials: https://centres.weforum.org/centre-for-energy-and-materials/home

Future of Power Systems: https://initiatives.weforum.org/future-power-system/home

Innovation Playbook for Future Power Systems: https://initiatives.weforum.org/future-power-system/innovation-playbook

Emerald AI: https://www.emeraldai.co/

Related podcasts:

The Hormuz shock, AI and China: the state of global energy, with Jason Bordoff: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/amnc26-energy-china-hormuz-oil-gas-renewables-bordoff/

How cutting emissions is future-proofing industries beyond the 'green premium': https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/first-movers-coalition-2026/

The green revolution is unstoppable: Adam Tooze on "the single most dramatic story in the history of energy": https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/adam-tooze-china-trade-energy-climate-pandemics/

What I tell my Stern Business School students on how to thrive in the age of AI: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/arun-sundararajan-ai-jobs-skills-education/