Podcast
AI, Energy and Climate Podcast
Hosted by The DSR Network · EN
Welcome to the AI, Energy and Climate podcast, a special series from the DSR Network hosted by David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. Join us as we talk with leading experts to explore the intersection between these critical issues that will impact the future of each and every one of us.
For more information about the issues discussed in this show, please go to: https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap/ and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap.
24episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
IEA’s New Energy and AI Report: Thomas Spencer and Siddharth Singh
3w ago00:48:27Tap to summarizeThe International Energy Agency just released a new report on energy and AI, updating its landmark report on that topic last year. The new report – called Key Questions on Energy and AI -- provides authoritative information on a wide range of topics including the growth in power demand for AI; the role of natural gas, nuclear power and batteries at AI data centers; the impacts of AI clusters on electric grids; and the future of physical AI such as robots and autonomous vehicles. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with the two lead authors of the report – Thomas Spencer and Siddharth Singh. Show notes: IEA, Key Questions on Energy and AI (April 2026) --https://www.iea.org/reports/key-questions-on-energy-and-ai This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Nuclear security in Iran, energy innovation and AI: Ernest Moniz
Apr 201:02:35Tap to summarizeWhat impact is the war in Iran having on nuclear security? If President Trump ever follows through on his threat to "obliterate" Iran's largest power plants, what risks would that create at the Iranian nuclear power plant at Bushehr? What impact does AI have on nuclear security, as well as on energy innovation more broadly? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these issues and more with former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, in a special episode of the AI, Energy and Climate Podcast recorded at CERAWeek. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Economic Growth, Climate Change and AI: Lord Nicholas Stern and Dr. Mattia Romani
Mar 1000:43:40Tap to summarizeLord Nicholas Stern, author of the landmark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, recently released his new book The Growth Story of the 21st Century: The Economics and Opportunity of Climate Action. Along with Dr. Mattia Romani and other colleagues, he also published a paper in Nature last year on the role of AI in the climate transition. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Stern and Romani about economic growth, climate change, AI and the energy transition. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →India AI Impact Summit: Arunabha Ghosh
Mar 300:42:40Tap to summarizeMore than 35,000 people attended the recent India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, which featured speeches from more than 20 heads of state and dozens of technology company leaders including Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind. In this episode, host David Sandalow offers his reflections on the Summit and speaks with Arunabha Ghosh, President of CEEW, a leading Delhi-based public policy think tank. Ghosh offers his views on the Summit, data center construction in India and around the world and the role of AI in sustainable development, among other topics. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Power Prices, Data Centers and US-Canada Geopolitics
Feb 400:48:18Tap to summarizeIn a high-profile speech, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently declared "We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition." US government officials and many others interpreted the comment to refer at least in part to the dramatic developments in US-Canada relations in the past year. Meanwhile, the US and Canadian energy systems are deeply interconnected. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with AJ Goulding, a leading power market expert based in Toronto, to discuss power prices, data centers, the future of coal and solar power, and the implications of US-Canadian tensions on the energy systems in both countries. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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AI, Innovation and the Power Sector: Sandy Grace
Jan 2800:41:39Tap to summarizeElectric utilities are not generally known as hotbeds of innovation. What would it take for electric utilities to become more innovative? What impact would that have on the adoption of AI technologies in the power sector? Can AI tools help control power price increases for households, instead of creating pressures for increased power prices due to data center demand? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these topics and others with Sandy Grace, Vice President of US Policy and Regulatory Strategy at National Grid. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Power Prices, Data Centers and the Bipartisan PJM Agreement: Peter Fox-Penner
Jan 2100:53:12Tap to summarizeIncreasing power prices are a hot topic in the United States. Last week the Trump administration, eight Democratic governors and five Republican governors announced a plan to protect households in mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states from paying more for electricity because of electricity demand from data centers. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Peter Fox-Penner, a leading expert on electricity markets, to discuss the causes of power price increases, the role of data centers, the recent bipartisan agreement in the PJM region, and more. This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →A Net-Positive AI Energy Framework: Ginelle Greene-Dewasmes
Dec 1100:34:44Tap to summarizeAI’s huge energy needs are getting enormous media attention. AI’s potential to make energy more secure, clean and affordable is getting less attention. What would it take for AI’s impact on the energy system to be net-positive? What would that mean exactly? What examples help show the potential for AI to make positive contributions to the energy system? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these topics and a new report called From Paradox to Progress: A Net-Positive AI Energy Framework with one of the report’s lead authors -- Ginelle Greene-Dewasmes, AI and Energy Lead at the World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/publications/from-paradox-to-progress-a-net-positive-ai-energy-framework/ https://icef.go.jp/wp-content/themes/icef_new/pdf/roadmap/icef2025_roadmap.pdf https://icef.go.jp/wp-content/themes/icef_new/pdf/roadmap/icef2024_roadmap_AI-Climate-Second-Edition.pdf This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Data Center Water Use: Alexis Abramson, Julio Friedmann and Angela Yuan
Oct 700:48:47Tap to summarizeHow significant is data center water use? Is it tiny in relation to other sectors, significant in some water-stressed regions, or both? Can new liquid-based cooling technologies which (perhaps counter-intuitively) need less water than traditional air-based cooling technologies help? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these topics and more with three coauthors of the new Sustainable Data Centers Roadmap -- Alexis Abramson (Dean of the Columbia Climate School), Julio Friedmann (Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct) and Angela Yuan (a master's degree candidate at the University of Cambridge). ICEF Sustainable Data Centers Roadmap -- icef.go.jp/roadmap This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Amory Lovins: Reflections of an AI Skeptic
Sep 1600:49:38Tap to summarizeAmory Lovins has been a leading thinker on energy policy for more than 50 years. Several months ago he wrote an article with the provocative title "Artificial Intelligence Meets Natural Stupidity." As the title suggests, Lovins is skeptical about AI in a number of respects – in particular about the electricity it will require. Listen as host David Sandalow talks with Lovins about AI power demand forecasts, the role of natural gas and renewables, AI in education, a proposal to require all payments to electric utilities by new large loads such as data centers to be bonded or insured, and more.\ Amory Lovins, Artificial Intelligence Meets Natural Stupidity (May 2025), https://integrative-design-for-radical-energy-efficiency.stanford.edu/sites/extreme_energy_efficiency/files/media/file/data-centersaiel-dr-16-10-may-2025.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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