Duke Energy Corp.’s chief executive said the utility expects power demand to accelerate dramatically as artificial‑intelligence workloads and broader electrification take hold. He warned that growth could outpace the last several decades by 10 times, a shift that would reshape load forecasts and capacity planning for the company’s regulated and competitive businesses across the United States today.

The surge stems from AI data centers that consume large, steady streams of electricity, prompting utilities to rethink grid investments. Analysts note that meeting a tenfold jump will likely pressure Duke’s capital spending, potentially spurring new transmission projects, renewable‑energy contracts, and demand‑response programs. Investors will watch how the firm balances cost recovery with rate‑payer impacts to secure long‑term reliability overall.

Regulators in the company’s core service territories will face heightened scrutiny as the utility seeks approval for higher returns on new infrastructure. If the demand forecast holds, Duke could see revenue growth that eclipses historical trends, reshaping its earnings profile and influencing comparable utilities’ strategic roadmaps. The firm’s next earnings release will reveal whether the outlook translates into tangible results for shareholders and policymakers alike.