Los Alamos National Laboratory may require significant electrical infrastructure upgrades within several years as artificial intelligence programs, supercomputing systems and weapons modernization activities sharply increase power demand, the lab’s Deputy Director for Mission Operations Mark Davis said this month.
Speaking before the Los Alamos County Council, Davis said the laboratory is pursuing plans for a third electrical power line into the region as current projections approach capacity limits, local publication Los Alamos Reporter reported. The Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade (EPCU) Project is progressing well, he said.
The Davis presentation is posted online.
“With the two lines that we have now we will be nearing capacity by 2028, so we need that third powerline to really take us to the next level,” Davis was quoted as saying in the article.
The warning highlights growing energy demands across the National Nuclear Security Administration as laboratories expand advanced computing capabilities tied to weapons simulations and AI development.
In September, NNSA said in a statement of findings for the EPCU that any alternatives to constructing a new 14-mile powerline would not be a “reliable or redundant” electrical upgrade to the lab. The EPCU has been a point of contention for the surrounding Los Alamos community since it would run through the Caja del Rio Plateau.
Los Alamos operates major supercomputing systems supporting nuclear weapons research and national security missions. Davis said the laboratory’s expanding computational footprint is driving substantial increases in electricity needs. “We are becoming much more power intensive,” he is quoted as saying.
The laboratory recently launched AI models on its Venado computing system and is planning future systems known as Mission and Vision. Davis also referenced partnerships involving OpenAI and NVIDIA as part of LANL’s broader AI push.
The proposed third power line would aim to stabilize long-term electricity supply for both the laboratory and surrounding region as modernization work accelerates.
The issue reflects a broader national challenge as government agencies and technology companies expand energy-intensive AI computing infrastructure requiring large amounts of electricity and cooling capacity.
At Los Alamos, rising demand is occurring alongside major weapons modernization efforts, including plutonium pit production expansion at the laboratory’s plutonium facility PF-4. Davis said the laboratory is simultaneously upgrading facilities, expanding computing resources and increasing operational capacity while maintaining ongoing mission work.