The United States faces an energy demand shock with clear national security consequences. After decades of flat demand, the rise of hyperscale artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, the electrification of heavy industry, and the reshoring of critical manufacturing are driving electricity needs upward at a pace unseen in modern history. 

These assets are not just economic engines; they are strategic infrastructure. AI supporting data centers power next-generation intelligence and defense capabilities, while smelting and refining provide the materials for aerospace and defense platforms, and resilient electricity delivery underpins homeland security and critical infrastructure during extreme events. A grid incapable of meeting these demands risks undermining both economic competitiveness and defense readiness. Only by upgrading the existing grid footprint and investing in long-lived, high-capacity transmission can the United States secure the energy foundation necessary for its strategic posture.

Read more in The National Interest here.

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