President Trump's executive orders on energy are not enough on their own for the industry to meet the rising demand for AI and data centers, and experts say another attempt at permitting reform is needed.

Virginia legislators introduced a series of bills they hope to pass in a short session this year aimed at addressing demand growth from data centers through cost allocation of utility rates, increased transparency in planning and tying tax incentives to efficiency requirements.

The data center dilemma centers first on a familiar mismatch of timescales. Utilities and their regulators tend to plan based on the small, incremental demand growth. But development and the power demand it generates move at ever-increasing digital speed.

A report from the Virginia legislature released shows how quickly data centers are growing in the state and addresses how to meet that demand, with some suggestions for policymakers.

EPRI launched its DCFlex initiative, which is meant to maximize demand flexibility from data centers to help them more quickly plug into the grid and provide demand response for emergencies.

The Gulf Coast Power Association again reported a record attendance for its annual Fall Conference and discussions on the industry’s future, emerging grid technologies and Texas’ 2025 legislative session.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang explained why AI is driving such high demand for electricity and how it could benefit the power grid, and society more generally, in the near future.