The short version

Ben Thompson predicted on February 12, 2026: “If we reason about what sectors are going to be important down the road, you know, for the AI buildout, energy is going to be a big deal and the ability to actually power the data centers that are coming online. That may be a bigger constraint going forward than even chips. Robotics…

Prediction by

Ben Thompson

On February 12, 2026

“If we reason about what sectors are going to be important down the road, you know, for the AI buildout, energy is going to be a big deal and the ability to actually power the data centers that are coming online. That may be a bigger constraint going forward than even chips. Robotics are clearly going to be a big thing.”

Follow-up

Both forecasts have been borne out. By 2025-2026, power availability and grid constraints are central bottlenecks for data center expansion, with regions delaying new data centers due to energy concerns. Robotics integrated with AI has seen rapid acceleration, substantial capital flows, and increased commercialization and media coverage.

From the High Caliber AI network — see the AI for PR module in the course.