ALJ data centers forum ties AI buildout to energy security

At ALJ Group’s American Data Centers Forum in Houston, the Society for Low Carbon Technologies linked AI infrastructure to LNG, carbon capture, chip supply chains and conflict risk. Microsoft’s datacenter supply chain lead also outlined the company’s global footprint and long-term sustainability goals.

Why it matters: - The AI buildout depends on energy, fiber, chips and specialized materials moving reliably across borders. - The forum framed that system as vulnerable to geopolitical shocks, especially around the Strait of Hormuz and Taiwan. - The discussion connected data center growth to lower-carbon power, carbon capture, and supply-chain resilience.

What happened: - The Society for Low Carbon Technologies participated in ALJ Group’s “American Data Centers Forum: From Building to Powering” in Houston on Oct. 9, 2026. - Fernando C. Hernandez, chairman of the SFLCT board, opened the forum as event chair and master of ceremonies with a presentation titled “Data Centers and the Strait of Hormuz: The Next Compute Cycle.” - Khia Chukudebelu, partner and general manager, datacenter global supply chain at Microsoft, delivered the keynote, “From Building to Powering: Enabling the Next Era of AI at Scale.” - Hernandez said he drew on firsthand experience at the Strait of Hormuz, documented in “illuminem,” to examine the conflict’s effects on energy systems and digital infrastructure.

The details: - Hernandez said reported attacks affecting Ras Laffan’s co-located LNG and carbon capture storage infrastructure could recarbonize LNG supplies. - He said that creates risk for the natural gas-plus-CCS model being used in the U.S. to power AI data centers with lower-carbon electricity. - Hernandez also pointed to reported strikes on regional data centers as evidence that digital infrastructure is now exposed to physical warfare. - He said the conflict has implications for LNG, ammonia, specialized gases, subsea fiber networks, advanced chip manufacturing and digital sovereignty. - Hernandez also linked the Hormuz conflict to wartime AI deployment by a leading large language model company. - He pointed to TSMC’s Arizona expansion as an example of geographic diversification for advanced chipmaking. - SFLCT, through former Government Affairs Director Alissa Nixon, engaged with Congressman Abe Hamadeh, whose Arizona district hosts TSMC fabrication infrastructure. - Hernandez said securing global AI compute requires diversified fabrication and resilient energy systems. - He warned that concentration of advanced chipmaking in Asia could create a “digital Strait of Hormuz,” a major chokepoint for global AI infrastructure. - Chukudebelu said Microsoft’s global data center footprint is supported by more than 185,000 miles of optical fiber. - Chukudebelu said Microsoft aims to be carbon negative, water positive and zero waste by 2030. - Chukudebelu said Microsoft plans to remove historical emissions dating to 1975 by 2050. - Chukudebelu closed by emphasizing that AI infrastructure needs the entire ecosystem to move together.

Between the lines: - The forum used current conflicts to argue that AI infrastructure is becoming a strategic asset, not just a technology rollout. - The comments tied decarbonization goals to supply-chain security, suggesting lower-carbon power is only part of the resilience challenge. - The Taiwan and Hormuz comparisons underscored a broader point: compute capacity can be constrained by energy bottlenecks, manufacturing concentration and transport corridors.

What's next: - Hernandez and Chukudebelu are set to return for ALJ Group’s upcoming “American Data Centers Construction Forum.” - Hernandez will serve as event chair. - Chukudebelu will moderate the opening plenary. - Hernandez said ALJ Group’s conferences are intended to extend collaboration beyond the event itself.

The bottom line: - The forum’s central message was that AI scale now depends as much on geopolitics, power systems and industrial resilience as on software and chips. - The source also includes a publishing note stating the views are those of SFLCT and that no endorsement is implied. - SFLCT’s social link provided in the source is Society for Low Carbon Technologies on LinkedIn.