All-In Podcast
“And then you ask people, there was a poll that came out today, something north of 50% of Americans believe that data centers increase the cost of water and electricity.”
Friedberg claims energy costs dropping to one cent per kilowatt hour would expand every economy.
“if you get the cost of energy down to 1¢ a kilowatt hour, it absolutely expands every economy. Like, everything blows up. Like, imagine if you”
Friedberg reports AI has increased fusion plasma stability from seventeen seconds to thirty minutes in three years.
“AI seems to be solving that problem because they're now using AI to train the control of the magnetic fields in a way that's working.”
Friedberg claims fusion could produce Earth's annual electricity from a swimming pool of ocean water.
“Basically, you could use a a swimming pool sized amount of ocean water to make all the electricity needed for an entire year for the planet Earth.”
Friedberg claims a swimming pool of ocean water could power Earth for a year via fusion.
“Basically, you could use a a swimming pool sized amount of ocean water to make all the electricity needed for an entire year for the planet Earth. That's what this can do.”
Friedberg says a swimming pool of ocean water could power Earth for a year through fusion.
“you could use a a swimming pool sized amount of ocean water to make all the electricity needed for an entire year for the planet Earth.”
Friedberg explains moon's one-sixth gravity and lack of atmosphere enable frictionless, low-energy material transport.
“It's about one sixth the gravity and the complete lack of an atmosphere, meaning that it's frictionless to move material off of the moon and very low energy to move it off of the moon.”
Friedberg says China has 400 nuclear reactor sites under construction, representing 60% of total US power production capacity.
“Suddenly, that's 60% of The US power production capacity being built right now in just nuclear by China.”
Friedberg notes US electricity capacity doubles to 2040 while China's triples from three to eight terawatts.
“Terawatt is roughly the power production or the electricity production capacity of the entire United States. US is going from one to two between now and 2040.”
Friedberg states US will add one terawatt by 2040 while China adds five terawatts, excluding gen four nuclear.
“The US is forecasted to increase its electricity production capacity from one to two terawatts by twenty forty, fifteen years from now.”
Friedberg reports every DC conversation at Hill and Valley forum was about AI energy demand nobody realizes.
“We just got back from DC. There is this hill and valley forum this week. Every single speech, every single talk, every conversation in the hallways was all about the energy demand coming from AI.”
Friedberg predicts robotics breakthrough in one to two years will add 100 million electrified robots in US.
“There's gonna be a breakthrough in the next year or two that's gonna unleash this additional demand curve. We're gonna have a 100,000,000 robots in The United States. They're all electrified.”
Friedberg reports Chinese researchers produced stem cells making 854 times normal mitochondria levels, 5.7 times more energy-efficient.
“And those mitochondria were on average 5.7 times more efficient at making energy, ATP. So they created highly energetic mitochondria and they made a lot of them.”
Friedberg says true potato seed replaces warehouses of chopped potato, reducing cost and environmental impact.
“eventually, a handful of seed replaces warehouses of potato chopped up potato that are being put in the ground. So you can move to an, you know, a low cost, more energy, more environmentally friendly,”
Friedberg predicts energy production should increase 100-fold over the next century versus 20-fold in the last.
“So we've increased energy production by about 20 fold in the last hundred years on earth. I think in the next hundred years, we can and should increase energy production by over a 100 fold.”
Friedberg argues renewables cannot replace everything and a portfolio of energy sources including fusion is needed.
“Great. But they're not going to kind of replace everything. Fission has this regulatory. So we have to have a portfolio of stuff.”
Friedberg argues for a portfolio approach to energy, noting fusion's physics is proven by the sun's existence.
“So we have to have a portfolio of stuff. Fusion, from a first principles perspective, as you know, works because we see it working in the sky. So we know that this physics is real.”
Friedberg reports venture-funded fusion companies grew from 7 three years ago to 70 today.
“So a couple of years ago, three years ago, was about seven venture funded fusion companies. As of the end of last year, Q3 of last year, count was 47.”
Friedberg claims a 10-meter cube of ocean water could provide all of Earth's electricity via plasma fusion.
“if you look at the amount of electricity that humans consume on planet Earth today, it would take about a 10 meter by 10 meter by 10 meter cube of ocean water to make all the electricity that we consume today if we could put that into a plasma fusion system”
Friedberg says nuclear plant regulatory costs rose from $100 million to $10 billion over two decades.
“And now it is so cost prohibitive. It's something like $10,000,000,000 now from maybe, you know, a 100,000,000, you know, two decades ago.”