Wärtsilä Warns of Imminent Power Constraints
A new landmark analysis of data center power across the Americas identifies “speed to powerless” as the defining infrastructure risk of the AI era. Wärtsilä, a provider of flexible power systems, warns that the gap between data center construction and power availability risks becoming a material brake on AI infrastructure growth across the region.
Risto Paldanius, Vice President Americas at Wärtsilä, stated: “The race to build data centers across the Americas is extraordinary in its pace and scale. But power is not keeping up. Interconnection queues stretch years, transmission capacity is saturating in the corridors where data centers are clustering, and equipment lead times are pushing delivery towards 2030 and beyond. The risk is not that the market slows down – it is that it builds faster than it can reliably power. We call that speed to powerless, and the evidence suggests these pressures could converge into a serious constraint.”
Evidence from the Americas
The warning is backed by a new analysis – Beyond the Grid: Building the Power System for AI in the Americas – which examines data center power constraints across the US, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. The study draws on data from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the International Energy Agency, and national energy planning bodies across the Americas.
In the US, approximately 2,600 GW of generation and storage capacity were seeking grid interconnection as of the end of 2025, creating serious timing uncertainty for developers relying on traditional grid connection. In Brazil, projected data center load on the transmission grid in 2030 was revised upward by 60% – from 18.9 TWh to 30.3 TWh per year – just three months after the country’s Annual Energy Operation Planning for 2026–2030 was published, reflecting how rapidly market assumptions are being overtaken by reality.
Water Scarcity Adds Pressure
In Mexico and parts of the US, water scarcity is further narrowing the range of viable power technologies. Cooling requirements for aeroderivative gas turbines create significant water demand in regions where supply is already under pressure. This compounds the challenge of sourcing reliable and sustainable power for data centers.
The power decisions made today will determine which data center projects are still competitive in 2030 and beyond. As AI demand outpaces grid expansion, flexible and resilient power planning is becoming essential to avoid a widespread slowdown in AI infrastructure growth across the Americas.
