Tech sector's energy transition draws attention at Vegas show

With its focus on innovative products and cutting-edge technology, the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has not historically paid much attention to energy companies.

- 

But there were signs of a shift at 2025's Las Vegas event, as the tech sector begins to confront its substantial energy needs, which are certain to grow as cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) advance.

"If you'd asked me to do CES five years ago, I wouldn't necessarily have seen the point," said Mr. Sebastien Fiedorow, chief executive of French start-up Aerleum, which manufactures synthetic fuel from carbon dioxide.

"But we are in a very different CES than five years ago," he told AFP, adding that even if energy companies remain "on the fringes" of CES, "we're here."

"It's a good first opportunity," he added.

Data centers accounted for 4.4 percent of US electricity needs in 2023, a figure that is likely to rise to 12 percent by 2028, according to the US Department of Energy.

Mr. Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES, said energy transition was intended to be "a big focus" of 2025's show.