Anthropic filed an S-1 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to prepare for a public offering. The company announced a $50 billion plan last year to build out data center infrastructure in New York and Texas.
Competition for data center locations with sufficient power and access to electrical supply is intense, Anthropic stated. Natural gas currently accounts for 40 percent of power generation across the United States.
Data centers are becoming increasingly dependent on natural gas as a primary energy source. Anthropic expects that hyperscalers and cloud service providers will increase competition for pipeline capacity and natural gas.
"This competition could drive up the price of natural gas," Anthropic said. A shortage of gas turbines is currently delaying the construction of new data facilities.
The US government plans to build more fossil fuel generation capacity than it has in the last decade. Data center electricity demand could erase decades of air quality improvements over the next five years.
Residents have successfully blocked dozens of proposed data centers across the country. "If our efforts to secure electrical power are perceived to affect other utility customers and the broader grid, regulators may impose conditions, standby charges, or other requirements intended to address such impacts," Anthropic said.
