Trump thinks coal is the answer to powering AI technology

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Apr 10, 2025 - 11:41

Summary: Trump has signed an executive order that will rejuvenate the coal industry. He believes that using coal will help the AI industry keep up with its energy demands.

The rapid rise in AI is astounding. But what’s also amazing and kind of alarming is just how much energy these AI data centers require. So much so that US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to increase coal production that will help solve the AI industry’s energy woes.

Pushing for coal

This is part of a series of executive orders that will help promote the rapid growth and revival of the coal industry. These orders include opening federal lands for mining and designating coal as a “critical mineral.” Trump will also use his emergency authorization powers to relax environmental regulations surrounding coal.

During a signing ceremony for his executive orders, Trump said, “You know, we need to do the AI, all of this new technology that’s coming on line. We need more than double the energy, the electricity, that we currently have.”

It’s actually kind of shocking when you think about how much energy AI data centers consume. For example, NVIDIA is set to ship 1.5 million AI servers per year by 2027. Assuming that these servers run at full capacity, it is estimated that they will consume at least 85.4 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. This is more than what some small countries use in an entire year! So, it’s not surprising that the Trump administration is turning to energy sources like coal to help power the AI industry.

The decline and ethics of coal

That being said, will Trump’s efforts rejuvenate the coal industry? The American coal industry has been on a decline over the past few decades as alternate forms of energy have emerged. Right now, coal accounts for 15% of America’s energy supply. This is a drastic drop from 2011, when the coal industry powered nearly half of America.

Also, at the moment, there are only 400 coal plants in operation in the US. This is down by nearly half from the 780 coal plants in 2000. Another problem, as The Verge notes, is the ethics behind using coal. This is because coal is a nonrenewable source of energy. There is only a finite amount of coal in the world, and eventually, we will run out.

This is why many companies, especially those in the tech industry, are turning to renewable sources of energy. This includes solar and wind energy. So, if these companies were to rely on coal to power their AI data centers, all their years of pushing and promoting renewable energy would come across as hypocritical.

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