Datacenter industry critical for economy -- Russian presidential advisor
- Russian presidential adviser Anton Kobyakov calls data centers 'vital' while simultaneously dismissing AI as a 'classic bubble' poised to burst.
- He cites U.S. and China as frenemies building data centers at a frantic pace, stoking Kremlin anxiety about falling behind in the server arms race.
- Kobyakov predicts AI will guzzle 5-7% of global electricity by 2030, conveniently ignoring that Russia’s grid might need a few more working power plants first.
- The plea for new generating capacity explicitly includes 'military industry' — because nothing says 'vital for society' like ensuring the server farm can also power the missiles.
- His remarks land at Russian Energy Week, a venue where 'strategic importance' is code for 'please give us foreign investment before sanctions get any worse.'
Brief Summary
Russian presidential adviser Anton Kobyakov took to the stage at Russian Energy Week to announce the bleeding obvious: data centers are critical to the economy and society. In the same breath, he labeled artificial intelligence a 'classic bubble' destined to pop under the weight of rising interest rates and cash conversion demands — a take so cynical it could curdle milk in Siberia.
Why This Matters
For the average reader, this is a peek behind the Kremlin’s smoke-and-mirrors economic playbook: they want the world to see Russia as a serious player in the digital arms race, but they’re also hedging against the possibility that AI hype collapses. The subtext is that Moscow is desperate to build out power-hungry infrastructure while simultaneously admitting the technology driving that demand might be a fad — a strategy that smells more like panic than planning.