The hunger for compute is proving surprisingly compatible with fossil fuels. We look at the expansion of gas power and the exposure of Spanish firms to autonomous agents.
Scaling AI requires more gas, not less
Illustration generated with AI on our own machine.
What happened. The US operated nearly 1,000 gas-fired plants in 2022, according to Futurism. The Environment America Research and Policy Center predicts a 44 percent increase in gas-fired generator capacity over the next four years. This represents a rise of nearly 20 gigawatts by 2030 from the current 41.8 gigawatts, per Futurism. Meanwhile, planned wind farm capacity has decreased by 34 percent since December of 2025, according to Futurism.
What we think. We are trading renewable promises for the reliability of combustion. It seems the future of intelligence relies on the past.
The good bit. The expansion provides the necessary energy stability for massive projects like Elon Musk’s 1.2 gigawatt data centre.
What you can do. If you are worried about energy efficiency, look into local AI for developers.
Spanish firms face a new class of autonomous competitors
Illustration generated with AI on our own machine.
What happened. Meta’s Muse agent represents a new generation of autonomous consumer-focused agents, according to El Confidencial. Morgan Stanley analysis shows approximately 3% of the European stock market shows a moderate or significant level of exposure, according to El Confidencial. Morgan Stanley’s case for HBX rests on its cloud-native platform, which it says processes between 7 and 10 billion searches a day, per El Confidencial.
What we think. Automation is a double edged sword. For some, these agents are competitors, while for others, they are simply new customers.
The good bit. For companies like Amadeus and HBX, these agents could become new clients for existing booking infrastructure.
What you can do. Learn about the scale of the local landscape in Spain’s AI market in 2026: the real figures and where to start.
In one line
AI growth is driving gas expansion while autonomous agents threaten European market stability.
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