Musk, Zuckerberg urge G20 ministers to back AI data center expansion

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg appeared virtually before G20 technology ministers on Tuesday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, pressing governments to accelerate the construction of AI data centers and the power infrastructure needed to run them. The appeals came amid growing public opposition to data center expansion in the United States and ahead of November's midterm elections, where the issue has become a flashpoint.digitaljournal+1

The G20 Innovation Ministerial, organized by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, brought officials and policymakers to the University of North Carolina's Carolina Inn for discussions on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and energy demand.abc11

Power Crisis and Economic Promise

Musk warned that a electricity shortfall for AI computing is not a distant concern but an imminent one. "There will be a significant power shortfall next year, so not like the distant future," he said. He cited analyst estimates of at least a 15-gigawatt gap by 2027, driven by AI chip production growing 40 to 50 percent annually while power generation outside China rises only 10 to 20 percent a year.ibtimes+2

Musk offered a broad estimate that AI could expand the global economy by 20 to 30 percent, or roughly $20 trillion to $30 trillion per year, and predicted that humanoid robotics could eventually multiply that figure tenfold. He forecast that AI would reach what he called "Stockfish-level" capability in software development within 12 to 18 months, making it effectively impossible for humans to compete with AI in writing code.techflowpost+2

Google Alphabet Inc. ↗ 0.84% DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis, also speaking virtually, said achieving human-level AI would unleash "ten times the impact of the Industrial Revolution."digitaljournal

Workforce Shortages and Political Tensions

Zuckerberg said Meta ↘ 1.64% cannot find enough skilled tradespeople to build the data centers the company needs. "We can't find the volume of skilled tradespeople that we need to build the data centers. Even we, as just one company, are trying to build," he said, noting that the broader buildout would require "hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of jobs" in skilled trades. He also predicted AI would dramatically lower the cost of starting a business, leading to more startups and small enterprises.abc11+1

The comments followed remarks a day earlier by President Donald Trump, who attacked opponents of AI data centers as "backwards and poor." Polls show a majority of Americans now oppose the facilities over concerns about rising electricity bills and noise.digitaljournal+1

Regulation and What Comes Next

Musk used part of his appearance to criticize European governments, telling ministers from France, Italy, and Germany — along with EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen — that overregulation was stifling their economies. "New things must be default legal as opposed to default illegal," he said.straitstimes+1

The ministerial continues Wednesday, with Nvidia ↗ 0.90% CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman scheduled for in-person discussions with Lutnick.digitaljournal+1