THE DROP X AI, Data Centers & Energy Demand

Compute is now one of the fastest-growing energy loads on the planet. AI is driving exponential demand, forcing a reckoning on power procurement, siting, and cooling, creating issues that investors can’t ignore.

The acceleration of large model training cycles and inference deployment is colliding head-on with finite grid capacity and volatile power markets. Data centers are moving from “hidden infrastructure” to critical nodes in national energy planning.

At the same time, compute and AI is the largest trends in terms of solving problems, which means it becomes a horizontal layer across all industries.

For investors, this is an inflection point: the opportunity lies in hardware efficiency, cooling systems, colocated renewables, off-grid structures, and load-shifting orchestration. The challenge is in navigating the capital intensity and policy complexity of energy-hungry digital infrastructure. This track convenes both compute and climate leaders to map the path forward for sustainable scaling.