Canada can leverage energy exports for AI data centre as ‘hard power’
A surge of artificial intelligence data centres in Ohio is straining local power grids and pushing electricity rates up by nearly 15 per cent, highlighting the U.S.’s limited energy capacity for AI growth. Gus Carlson writes that residents are pushing back against expansion plans, including fuel-cell installations and backup diesel generators, citing environmental and health concerns. With the U.S. facing political, social, and infrastructure challenges in meeting AI energy demands, Canada emerges as a potential supplier of clean, reliable electricity, Carlson argues. “Canada has what the U.S. desperately craves,” he writes, pointing to hydroelectric and nuclear capabilities that could support AI data centres across the border. Carlson says Canada could leverage its energy exports for political and commercial influence, framing power generation as a form of strategic “hard power” in the AI era.
