Episode Details

We use AI in a digital world - but its future may depend on the physical one.

Behind every prompt, agent and model, sits a system that needs to be built, funded and powered.

And as organisations and countries race to adopt AI, the demand for access is accelerating. So could a technology that's built to allow limitless thinking, end up limited by a country's network and ability to build?

Because the future of AI depends on compute capacity. That depends on infrastructure. And that depends on energy. And it's those elements which determine the price we all pay to use it.

Tune in to find out:

• Why AI is creating a new race for energy and infrastructure
• Why data centres could become a strategic resource
• How energy-intensive AI could also help solve sustainability challenges
• Why the future of AI depends on decisions being made today

This episode is part of The Green Room's series exploring the AI future for the UK. Listen to the full series now, starting with our 100th episode: What will be the last job on earth?

Visit our website to learn more about this topic and find suggestions for other episodes: deloitte.co.uk/greenroompodcasts

Secure your place at Deloitte's crucial national conference, UK Energy Transition: Building Resilience, Accelerating Delivery.

Find out more about AbilityNet, one of Deloitte's Social Impact partners: abilitynet.org.uk 

Guests: Caroline Brown, Partner in AI for Infrastructure and Sustainability at Deloitte, and Tom Cope, Partner in Deloitte's Infrastructure and Capital Projects team

Hosts: Oli Carpenter and Hannah Gowen
Original music: Ali Barrett

Recording date and location: London, 01.07.26