China’s AI growth ben­e­fits from decades of over­built, state-planned ener­gy infra­struc­ture, ensur­ing abun­dant, sta­ble electricity—often dou­ble the nation’s needs. This con­trasts sharply with the U.S., where surg­ing AI demand strains an aging, frag­ment­ed grid, prompt­ing cost­ly workarounds and polit­i­cal fights. Chi­na treats AI data cen­ters as a way to use sur­plus pow­er, while U.S. projects face delays, short-term invest­ment hori­zons, and pub­lic resis­tance. Experts warn the U.S. risks falling fur­ther behind unless it reforms how it funds, plans, and builds large-scale ener­gy capac­i­ty. Source: For­tune