Wall Street analysts anticipate a building boom of natural gas power plants in response to the growing use of artificial intelligence.
That outcome could endanger the 2030 climate goals of Microsoft, Google and other technology giants that are planning to use gigawatt-scale data centers to meet the energy-intensive computing demands of AI.
Microsoft and Google have both committed to offset as much planet-warming emissions as they produce by the end of the decade, but have instead seen their carbon emissions soar in recent years.
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The expansion of AI could be an economic boon for some gas drillers, pipeline operators, electric utilities and construction firms, according to three separate reports prepared by investment banks last week.
