Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi warned that inadequate US energy infrastructure could prevent the country from taking advantage of AI advances. Advaithi said the power grid is not ready for the demands ahead. Advaithi spoke at Fortune's annual Most Powerful Women Summit in Santa Barbara, California.
Advaithi said AI readiness discussions focus on technology, including semiconductors and frontier models, rather than energy infrastructure. Advaithi argued that those technologies cannot benefit the country without adequate energy infrastructure and a prepared grid. Advaithi said building a power grid capable of meeting the country's growing energy needs takes decades. Advaithi said developing a chip takes only five years. A 2025 Berkeley study estimated that data centers could consume around 11.8% of all US electricity by 2030.
Advaithi said the United States is far behind and will need a long time to innovate and change power infrastructure. Advaithi expects a power gap to persist over the next decade as frontier models continue to grow. Advaithi said deploying the required computing capacity demands significant power readiness, and the United States already faces a deficit. Advaithi predicted continued power shortfalls over the next decade unless the country accelerates standards and approvals for innovation.
Advaithi said creating new power technology involves a tremendous number of approval processes. Data centers are not moving quickly or employing new innovations. Advaithi said safety and regulatory issues have prevented energy and power innovation for a long time. Advaithi emphasized that power infrastructure requires caution because power affects people's lives.
Advaithi warned that AI's growing electricity demand threatens to exceed the infrastructure needed to support AI if slow processes continue to impede progress. Advaithi said avoiding a continuing deficit requires rapid development of new generation, upgrades to old and outdated transmission lines, and next-generation distribution. Advaithi said a power deficit should not be allowed to constrain AI's future.
Flex CEO Warns US Energy Infrastructure Must Scale for AI Growth
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Summary
Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi warned in AI + crypto news that the US power grid is unprepared for AI’s energy demands, risking the nation’s ability to leverage AI and ecosystem growth. She noted that without upgraded infrastructure, semiconductors and frontier models can’t reach full potential. A 2025 Berkeley study estimates data centers could use 11.8% of US electricity by 2030. Advaithi added that the US lags in power innovation and expects a gap to remain unless progress speeds up.
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