Power has become one of the biggest bottlenecks in rolling out new AI data centers. That's creating an opening for investors.

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Power availability has become a critical bottleneck for AI data center expansion, with up to 50% of announced projects facing delays. Only 5 of 190 tracked gigawatts are under construction, and 36% of projects saw timeline slips in 2025. This supply-demand squeeze is creating investment opportunities in energy tech — specifically grid-scale batteries (like Form Energy's 100-hour battery), solid-state transformers, and grid management software. AI is projected to drive data center power consumption up 175% by 2030, and major tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta are already investing heavily in alternative energy sources and on-site power generation. Investors are increasingly eyeing energy infrastructure as a more tractable and durable bet than AI startups themselves, with the added hedge that electrification of transportation and industry will sustain demand regardless of AI's trajectory.

The best AI investment might be in energy tech