Governor Says That Growth of AI Creates New Markets for North Dakota Natural Gas

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, center. (Photo by Jacob Orledge/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota oil and gas companies have new economic allies in the form of a tech industry “desperate” to find energy sources to fuel the growth of artificial intelligence, Gov. Kelly Armstrong said.

The governor, asked during the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s annual meeting about the value of artificial intelligence to the state, said “it is changing the dynamic” in a way that isn’t often discussed.

The demand for artificial intelligence, generated in energy-intensive data centers, is surging from technology giants and countries around the globe. That is turning employees of tech companies, whom Armstrong called the “traditional adversaries” of places like North Dakota, into customers for natural gas.

“People who hated natural gas not that long ago, like 36 months ago, have all of a sudden recognized that natural gas is the key to the survival of their company,” Armstrong said.