Infrastructure

The AI industry has an energy problem it can no longer hide. Data centers are projected to consume roughly 1,050 TWh globally by 2026 — enough to rank them as the fifth-largest energy consumer on Earth, wedged between Japan and Russia. Every major AI lab is scrambling for power, and the grid can’t keep up. Panthalassa thinks the answer is floating in the ocean. A Giant Lollipop That Thinks The Vancouver, Washington-based company has spent a decade in semi-stealth building something that sounds like rejected sci-fi: autonomous, self-propelled data centers that ride ocean waves, generate their own electricity, and beam results back to shore via Starlink. ...

The AI revolution has a landlord problem. It needs staggering amounts of power, water, and real estate — and the communities being asked to supply it are increasingly slamming the door. 300 Bills and Counting State lawmakers have proposed more than 300 bills in 2026 alone targeting data center construction and energy consumption. That’s not a slow regulatory awakening. That’s a stampede. The proposals span the political spectrum: construction moratoriums in New York, Maine, Vermont, Oklahoma, and Georgia. Virginia is weighing whether to scrap $1.6 billion in annual tax breaks. Democratic legislators in blue states and Republican legislators in red ones are pushing essentially the same restrictions — a genuinely rare phenomenon in 2026 American politics. ...