Flex CEO Warns Outdated Power Grid Could Stall AI
Revathi Advaithi warns that outdated U.S. energy infrastructure and slow grid development could hinder the deployment of artificial intelligence compute capabilities.
CEO of Flex Revathi Advaithi warned that the United States' outdated power grid and energy infrastructure could stall the advancement of artificial intelligence. Speaking at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in Santa Barbara, California, Advaithi stated that while industry focus remains on semiconductors and frontier models, the country lacks the energy capacity to sustain them.
Advaithi highlighted a significant disparity in development timelines, noting that while chips take five years to develop, power grids take decades to build. She attributed the lack of innovation in power infrastructure to regulatory hurdles and safety concerns.
She cautioned that without rapid upgrades to distribution and transmission lines, the U.S. will operate in a power deficit. Advaithi argued that the current grid is not ready for the demands of AI, suggesting that energy infrastructure must be prioritized alongside hardware and software to avoid hindering the deployment of compute capabilities.
