AI’s energy appetite drives Nvidia and Amazon to pour billions into massive power infrastructure

Amazon and Nvidia need more power for AI. Nvidia is investing up to $3 billion in Lancium, the power infrastructure developer behind the OpenAI and Oracle data center in Texas, according to The Information. A $2 billion stake would give Nvidia roughly 20 percent of the company, valued at around $10 billion.

Lancium already has four gigawatts of power under contract in Texas and is developing sites for up to 15 more gigawatts. Amazon, meanwhile, is backing a massive gas-fired power plant in Pecos County, Texas. The facility could emit up to 33 million tons of CO₂ per year, according to the New York Times, which would make it the dirtiest power plant in the country. Its 35 gas turbines are designed to generate up to 7.65 gigawatts of electricity for an Amazon data center. Amazon spokesperson Margaret Callahan said the company’s climate goals still stand but admitted that AI data centers could make hitting them harder. Environmental groups are raising alarms about health and pollution risks. Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather estimates that a heavy user of agentic AI burns about as much energy per year as a clothes dryer, and that number is climbing.AdDEC_D_Incontent-1Ad Follow The Decoder for AI news, background stories and expert analyses.