内容来源：https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/16/how-much-of-the-ai-data-center-boom-will-be-powered-by-renewable-energy/

内容总结：

国际能源署最新报告显示，全球数据中心建设投资正迎来历史性转折。今年该领域投资总额预计达5800亿美元，较石油勘探投资高出400亿美元，标志着全球经济结构正在发生深刻变革。

随着生成式人工智能的快速发展，数据中心建设浪潮正引发双重效应：一方面，激增的电力需求可能对现有电网构成压力；另一方面，这股热潮正成为可再生能源发展的新引擎。行业专家在TechCrunch访谈中指出，太阳能正成为数据中心首选能源——不仅因成本优势，更因相较于传统能源项目，太阳能电站审批流程更为便捷。

值得关注的是，科技巨头正展开空前规模的基础设施军备竞赛：OpenAI宣布投入1.4万亿美元布局数据中心，Meta规划6000亿美元投资，Anthropic也抛出500亿美元建设计划。这种爆发式增长同时带来结构性挑战——美国将承担全球50%的电力需求，中国与欧洲共同消化剩余部分，且多数数据中心选址毗邻百万级人口城市，对电网接入提出严峻考验。

创新解决方案正在涌现。以红木材料公司为例，其新成立的能源部门通过将退役电动汽车电池改造为微电网，专门服务人工智能数据中心。这种模式若能推广，将有效缓解夏季用电高峰期的电网压力，正如得克萨斯州等地面临的轮流停电困境。

这场基建革命正在重塑我们的生存空间。即便不直接建于城市内部，如此规模的工程建设仍将深刻改变城乡面貌。更关键的是，万亿级投资计划能否完全落地仍存变数——OpenAI等企业实际营收与资本承诺间的巨大落差，以及其寻求《芯片法案》税收优惠的举动，都预示着这场变革不仅需要企业投入，更可能推动政府层面出台配套支持政策。未来数年，如何平衡技术爆发、能源转型与公共资源投入，将成为各国共同面对的重要课题。

中文翻译：

国际能源署最新报告显示，今年全球数据中心投资将达5800亿美元——比石油勘探支出高出400亿美元。这组数据折射出全球经济格局的重大转变。考虑到生成式人工智能可能加剧气候变化的担忧，将数据中心与石油投资进行对比显得尤为贴切。

在TechCrunch《Equity》播客最新节目中，我与柯尔斯滕·科罗塞克、丽贝卡·贝兰共同解读了这份报告。毫无疑问，新建数据中心将产生巨大能耗，给本已吃紧的电网带来更大压力。但柯尔斯滕指出潜在积极面：太阳能有望为许多新项目供电，这为探索创新可再生能源方案的初创企业创造了机遇。

我们同时探讨了项目融资问题：OpenAI宣布投入1.4万亿美元建设数据中心，Meta承诺6000亿美元，Anthropic近期也公布了500亿美元的数据中心计划。以下是经过精简整理的对话摘录：

柯尔斯滕：我认为潜在机遇在于——我们的气候科技记者蒂姆·德尚通过大量调查发现，许多数据中心正转向可再生能源。无论是规避监管障碍还是控制成本，这都是最优选择。在数据中心附近安装太阳能电池阵列的审批流程要便捷得多。

对我而言，这确实意味着所有从事可再生能源创新、数据中心设计及减排技术研发的企业将迎来利好。但最令我震撼的仍是投资规模。作为前能源记者，我深知石油勘探的耗资之巨。

丽贝卡：这笔投资确实惊人，且主要来自美国。报告指出全球半数电力需求将来自美国，其余由中国和欧洲分担。另一个值得注意的是，大部分数据中心选址在百万级人口城市或近郊，这意味着电网接入将面临更大挑战。正如你所说，发展可再生能源不仅是环保政策要求，更是商业明智之举。

柯尔斯滕：红木材料公司新成立的能源事业部值得关注。数月前我参加其发布会时了解到，他们正在将未达回收标准的旧电动车电池改造成微电网，专门服务人工智能数据中心。这种做法应该能缓解你刚才提到的困境。关键在于是否会有更多企业效仿？这类企业能产生多大影响力？考虑到电网压力——特别是在夏季用电高峰时期，德克萨斯州等地已出现轮流限电——这确实令人担忧，可能催生对红木模式企业的全新投资浪潮。

安东尼：这还引发了对生活空间影响的思考。即使不直接建在城市内部，如此大规模的建设也必将改变我们的地理景观。此外还需审视：这些规划中的数据中心有多少能真正落地？毕竟现有计划都涉及巨额资金投入。

以OpenAI为例，很多人都在讨论其实际收入与未来十年数万亿美元资本承诺之间的差距。其首席财务官提出“政府应为数据中心建设贷款提供担保”引发争议，随后又急忙澄清措辞不当。但显然他们确实在寻求《芯片法案》税收减免政策的扩展。这表明相关努力不仅需要企业投入，政府也需参与——至少未来几年政府必将考量这个问题。

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英文来源：

According to a new report from the International Energy Agency, the world will spend $580 billion on data centers this year — $40 billion more than will be spent finding new oil supplies.
Those numbers help to illustrate some big shifts in the global economy, and comparing data centers and oil seems particularly apt given concerns about how generative AI might accelerate climate change.
Kirsten Korosec, Rebecca Bellan, and I discussed the report’s findings on the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast.
There’s no question that these new data centers are going to be hungry for power, and that they could place even more stress on already taxed electrical grids. But Kirsten pointed to a potential upside, with solar poised to power many of these new projects, which could also create new opportunities for startups pursuing innovative approaches to renewable energy.
We also discussed how these projects will be funded, with OpenAI saying it has committed $1.4 trillion to building data centers, Meta committing $600 billion, and Anthropic recently announcing a $50 billion data center plan.
You can read a preview of our conversation, edited for length and clarity, below.
Kirsten: Here’s what I think is the potential upside. So Tim De Chant, who’s our climate tech reporter, has done a ton of reporting about not just data centers, but actually how a lot of data centers are turning to renewables because in terms of regulatory [hurdles] and cost, they are the go-to. It’s a lot easier to get a permit to throw up a bunch of solar panels adjacent to a data center.
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So to me, the one upside is that it could really mean a positive for any kind of company that is doing interesting things around renewables or data center design and some of the technology to reduce the global emissions component of it.
But of course, the sheer number to me is what really stood out. As a former energy reporter myself, I know how much is spent on trying to find new oil.
Rebecca: I mean, it’s a lot. And a lot of that’s coming from the U.S. I think that report found that half of the electricity demand will be coming from the U.S., and the rest is a mix of China and Europe.
And another thing that struck me about it was that most of the data centers are coming to cities, or near cities, like populations of a million people, roughly. So that means there’s a lot more challenge with the grid connection and with connection pathways. I think that, to your point, renewables will have to [be a focus] — it’s just good business, it’s not because of any environmentally friendly policies.
Kirsten: Redwood Materials’ new business unit, Redwood Energy, is going to be an interesting company to watch with this. A few months ago, I went to their big reveal, and they’re taking the old EV batteries that aren’t quite ready to be recycled, and then they’re creating these microgrids, and then specifically going after AI data centers. And that, to me, would alleviate the problem or the concern that you just mentioned.
The question is: Are other companies going to do this? Are there other Redwood Energies out there that are trying to do the same thing? And how much of an impact could they make? Because I do think that like the pressure on the electrical grid, especially during certain times of the year, like in the middle of the summer, for instance, places like Texas that have rolling brownouts and blackouts, that is going to be a real concern. And it could spur a whole new kind of investment into companies doing what Redwood is doing.
Anthony: It also underlines this question about what is that going to do to the spaces that we live in? Even if they’re not in cities themselves, I feel like the landscape is definitely going to be transformed by construction at this scale.
And then, of course, there’s also this question of how much of [the planned data centers are] actually going to get built because there’s definitely very ambitious plans that require huge amounts of spending.
To start with OpenAI, that’s a company that a lot of people have been talking about, how much money are they actually making versus the trillions of dollars of capital commitments they have for the next decade. And then there was this whole controversy over their CFO saying, “The government should backstop our loans to build these data centers.” And then she’s like, “No, no, no, no, no, I didn’t mean backstop, that was a poor choice of words,” but it does look like they have been asking for an expansion of tax credits from the CHIPS Act.
I think that this is going to be an effort that’s not just going to fall on the companies, but also on the government — or at least that’s going to be a question that the government is considering over the next few years.