AI Data Centers Are Banging on Crypto’s Door
Former Ercot independent market monitor Beth Garza of R Street Institute said she won’t debate the merits of cryptocurrency, but from an electricity perspective, bitcoin miners are “the best customers ever.”
“Basically they use electricity when there is surplus, when it is low-cost,” Garza said. “They are very disciplined and regimented about when they stop using it.”
Cloud or AI data centers, by contrast, need access to large, stable amounts of power around the clock.
That puts more stress on the grid operator trying to manage ballooning demand. A new law in Texas could provide something of a stopgap, Garza said. It would require large new data centers to switch to backup power sources…
