Anthropic claims that the US will require “at least 50 gigawatts of electric capacity for AI by 2028” to maintain its AI leadership.

In a whitepaper, the generative AI company said that training frontier models will require data centers with 5GW capacity by that deadline.

However, the company notes that “building this infrastructure faces years-long delays from overlapping federal, state, and local permits; regulatory approvals for transmission lines; and delays interconnecting projects to the grid.”

The 50GW also appears to be on a slightly scaled-back timeline – just in March, Anthropic said that an “additional” 50GW was required by 2027.

“Experts disagree about the exact estimates,” Anthropic said in its new whitepaper. “But if these numbers are approximately right, then meeting AI’s power needs over the next few years will be a significant challenge.”

The Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that data centers (AI, non-AI, and crypto) will require 74-132GW in 2028.

Of the roughly 50GW, Anthropic estimates 20-25GW will be for frontier AI training by 2028, spread across several locations.

The company notes that China has deployed more than 400 gigawatts of power in the last year, compared to several dozen gigawatts in the United States. To catch up, the company made several suggestions – mostly revolving around cutting regulations and approvals.

“To be clear, the United States should not adopt China’s approach to permitting and building large infrastructure,” Anthropic said.

Among the proposals is to lease Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Energy (DOE) lands as options for data center construction. Under the Biden Administration, the US government ordered both departments to evaluate lands for data center projects.

This carried on under the Trump Administration, with 16 potential sites detailed in April. As yet, no projects have been announced.

Anthropic also calls for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews to be accelerated, interconnection reforms to be enacted, and National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors to be established.

The company said that geothermal, natural gas, and nuclear permitting should be sped up, domestic production of critical grid components and turbines should be strengthened, and workforces should be trained.

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/anthropic-us-ai-needs-50gw-of-power-by-2028-frontier-models-will-require-5gw-data-centers/