NEMA CEO：电气化时代来临，数据中心需求推动电气设备行业

So you obviously have just put forward this framework. How can Nema essentially help to make data centers more efficient? What does it take? Yeah. So we represent, um, the electrical equipment manufacturers. We make up about a third of every data center that that's built. So it's really in our vested interest to make sure that these data centers are operating safely, as efficiently as possible. Um, and that's really why we came together to produce this blueprint in order to contribute to this conversation about how we're going to manage these large loads that are coming online.

Is this like Christmas morning for you guys that wake up to another headline every day? And today was no exception. Microsoft Chevron sign power deal for Texas data center. You've got GE over and over attached to it. You've got caterpillar. Everyone's rallying. Maybe there'll be another one tomorrow. Uh, is this good news for you in that a story like this keeps data center off the grid? Or is it your job to marry the two?

It's our job to marry the two. I mean, it's a it is a great time to be in the electrical industry not only because of what's happening in the data center space, but we're entering manufacturing that every manufacturing facility, about 30% of the spend is on electrical equipment. You think about, you know, we're also starting to power our cars through electric vehicles. So it really is the age of electrification. And so this industry is in quite the pole position to serve each of these end markets.

And how do you do that more efficiently. What needs to change. Well that's really what this this blueprint, this data center blueprint is all about. How do you use all of these electrical technologies in a data data center application? Think about them as a whole system built for efficiency, but also for scale and speed. And so that's what this framework does. It um, it takes a look across all the, all of those technologies, looks at the impact from an environmental standpoint, from an energy efficiency standpoint, and also from a safety standpoint.

Data centers are using massive amounts of electricity. So we've got to, you know, manage these these, um, these voltages wisely. I mentioned the Microsoft Chevron deal. That's a natural gas. Uh, deal. You're dealing with moving electrons from any number of sources, though. And for how long will this be? And all of the above, as we try to look to the future of nuclear. You're still going to be pushing natural gas. Oil?

I don't know if coal's involved in this. Will solar become a bigger part? Absolutely. We you know, we believe we need all sources of of generation, no doubt. And for the foreseeable future, for at least the next ten years, is gas at the top of that list? I mean, gas is in there. It really, really, um, I mean, gas is in there because it's it's dispatchable. It's, you know, you can run a data center operation 24 by seven when you use natural gas, but, um, solar energy storage, wind, it's all part of the equation.

And, yeah, oftentimes you can, um, build these renewable energy generation sources faster than traditional because of permitting delays. So, you know, we need the entire ecosystem, I think, to, to, to, to, to deliver all of these electrons where they need to go with speed. You also need the parts and components. And I wonder as we're seeing, uh, build out of, of this scale if there are any bottlenecks, supply chain challenges that your members are running into it, if tariffs perhaps exacerbate them in some areas.

Well, for sure, supply chain has been the top of every manufacturers mind since since the days of Covid for in the electrical system. I mean we we're we're focused on chips. We're focused on electrical steel. We're focused on critical minerals. And so, um, you know, making sure that we have ample domestic supply of those materials is, is is key to this industry during this moment. Fascinating. You could write a whole book about chips, I'm sure, on their own.

What would the gas turbine be next in line for the most in-demand item? Yeah. I mean, there's been a lot of discussion about transformers, switchgear, gas turbines. And from time to time there are long lead times for those for those materials. But this industry is thinking about investing for the long game, you know, knowing what's coming in our electrical system, how do we make sure that we've got these supply chains here, uh, domestically to serve this need?

Yeah, for the next ten years.