America's Energy Problem: The Grid That Built America Can’t Power Its Future

a16z Podcast

a16z

Science, Innovation, Business, Entrepreneurship, Culture, Disruption, Software Eating The World, Technology

4.4 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

U.S. per capita energy usage peaked in 1973. Since then? Flat. Meanwhile, China’s per capita energy use has grown 9x. Today, AI, EVs, manufacturing, and data centers are driving demand for more electricity than ever—and our grid can’t keep up. In this episode, a16z general partners David Ulevitch and Erin Price-Wright, along with investing partner Ryan McEntush from the American Dynamism team, join us to unpack: – How America’s grid fell behind – Why we "forgot how to build" power infrastructure – The role of batteries, solar, nuclear, and software in reshaping the grid – How AI is both stressing and helping the system – What it’ll take to build a more resilient, decentralized, and dynamic energy future Whether you’re a founder, policymaker, or just someone who wants their lights to stay on, this conversation covers what’s broken—and how to fix it.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The energy grid and electrical grid of the future,
0:03.0	it's not just going to be the dichotomy of generation, transmission, and storage.
0:07.0	This sort of next generation of what the grid looks like
0:10.0	is going to be in a much more decentralized way.
0:12.0	Why are delivery costs such a big problem?
0:15.0	The grid is aging now and brittle.
0:18.0	The workforce is aged out.
0:20.0	Should we just leapfrog the grid?
0:22.9	I need this power now today.
0:25.2	The United States needs to get better at mega projects.
0:27.4	Things that are a billion dollars, things that are at scale.
0:30.0	There is no safety.
0:31.5	There is no national defense.
0:32.7	There is no national security without a reliable electric vote rate.
0:37.5	U.S. energy usage per capita peaked in 1973.
0:41.4	Since then, it's been flat.
0:43.6	Meanwhile, China's per capita energy use has grown ninefold.
0:47.2	Today, with AI, EVs, manufacturing, and data centers demanding more power than ever,
0:52.2	America's electrical grid is buckling.
0:54.6	We haven't just underbuilt it. We've forgotten how to build it.
0:58.0	In this episode, I'm joined by A16D General Partners, David Ullovich and Aaron Price-Rite,
1:03.1	an investing partner Ryan McIntush from the American Dynamism Team.
	...

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