Episode Details

Today on The Wealth Effect, we’re digging into the physical reality of the "Cloud." It’s not a fluffy white vapor; it’s a hot, thirsty industrial giant that’s currently buying up your hometown’s old steel mill.

• Heat-as-a-Service: Why the AI boom is turning data centers from "silent neighbors" into municipal heating companies. We look at the rise of Thermal ROI and why selling hot water to a greenhouse might be more stable than selling compute to a startup.
• The 500ml Prompt: Every time you ask an LLM to write a 100-word email, a 16oz water bottle worth of moisture "sweats" off a server rack. We break down the projected 170% surge in water use and the looming threat of a "Hydraulic Tax."
• Power Prospectors: Big Tech is buying the Rust Belt—but not for the real estate. They’re hunting for "Stranded Power Assets." We explain why a defunct paper mill is now worth 10x its weight in gold because of a legacy utility contract.

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