US pulls ahead of China in building natural gas to power AI data centers

Published August 25, 2026 12:42pm ET | Updated August 25, 2026 12:42pm ET



The United States is building twice as much natural gas as China, giving Washington a leg up in the race to power data centers running artificial intelligence, according to a new report.

The amount of natural gas projects under development in the U.S. in the first half of this year was already 50% higher than the total for 2025, a boom directly linked to the rapid deployment of AI, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the nonprofit organization Global Energy Monitor.

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