The winter storm tested power grids straining to accommodate AI data centers

Power lines during a winter storm in Irving, Texas, on Sunday, January 25th. | Photo: Getty Images

The colossal winter storm that swept across 34 states left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity. Bitterly cold temperatures lingering after Winter Storm Fern are still testing power grids, already under stress from a rush of new AI data centers.

Over the weekend, wholesale electricity prices soared in Virginia, the state with the most data centers. And while that's not surprising...