Connect | New York // Energy Summit: Global energy demand, local energy reality - Why data centers are entering a regulatory reckoning

AI, electrification and re-industrialisation are creating a new phase of data centre growth on both sides of the Atlantic. At the macro level, the narrative is clear: exponential compute demand, hyperscale expansion, capital abundance. But data centres do not connect to “global grids” — they connect to local substations, local regulators, and local politics. In the US, state-level energy regulation, transmission constraints and community pushback are reshaping siting decisions. In Europe, net-zero commitments, market design reform and power price volatility are colliding with industrial policy and digital sovereignty ambitions. This session explores the growing divergence between the logic of global capital allocation logic and local regulatory reality. The winners of the next cycle will be those who can translate global strategy into local execution.