One of the topics looked into this past summer (2024) by the South Dakota Legislature’s interim Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Internet Access by Minors was the amount of power needed to operate data centers used by artificial intelligence.
District 24 Representative Mike Weisgram of Fort Pierre co-chaired the group. He says the topic will come up during the 2025 legislative session in South Dakota.
Senator Jim Mehlhaff of Pierre says the amount of electricity needed to run AI data centers will put a strain on the nation’s power grid.
Weisgram expects to see the Trump Administration slow down the closure of coal fired power plants around the country. He also anticipates seeing growth in the use of small, nuclear generators over the next decade.
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