Anthropic's S-1 filing reveals AI data centers' growing reliance on natural gas amid supply constraints

Anthropic's SEC filing ahead of its IPO highlights that its data center expansion is increasingly dependent on natural gas, a fossil fuel primarily composed of methane. The company acknowledges intense competition for electrical supply and data center locations with adequate power, noting that rising global temperatures and fuel costs threaten its operations. Some projects are turning to on-site gas engines to avoid grid connection delays, but this makes generation less efficient and more polluting. A recent Texas study warns data center electricity demand could wipe out decades of air quality gains, raising soot and smog-forming pollutants.