Across Europe, the debate rages on: Is AI a threat? Is it a bubble? Is it a new regulatory challenge? While some voices in the market express skepticism about the AI boom, several of the world’s largest hyperscalers based in the U.S. are deploying billions of dollars into new data centers. As the electrification of all areas of life is expanding with massive speed, so is data processing.

Whether you call it a bubble or not: AI is here to stay—and it runs on electricity. But AI is only as powerful and reliable as the energy grid behind it. The race to connect data centers to the grid is already well underway, and speed has become a decisive factor. Therefore, the real question is not whether AI investments are irrationally high compared to the expected return—it is whether and when we will be ready to deliver the energy grid infrastructure it needs, and which region will be the frontrunner.

Explosive demand meets an aging U.S. grid

Here, the U.S. faces a stark reality: surging energy demand colliding head-on with an existing, often outdated network that was never designed for today’s loads. Today, 50% of the additional demand for power grid expansion in the U.S. is driven by data. Every new data center, every new hyperscaler campus of companies such as Meta, Google and Microsoft requires additional capacity—and that means a much more reliable and faster grid with more substations, more transformers, and more need for state-of-the art, high-voltage components. That is why the 765 kV market is huge: Across the U.S., an estimated $55 to $60 billion investment in 765 kV transmission projects is being planned or approved.

This is where Trench Group and our factories in the U.S. and Canada will be making a decisive difference. We will be supplying exactly those mission-critical components such as bushings, instrument transformers and coils that no substation can do without—including dry-type transformer bushings essential for 765 kV transmission grids in the U.S.

Built in America. Built for speed.

We do not just talk about urgency—we act on it. With bold decisions and speed.

We are among the first companies to invest early and heavily in expanding production capacity across all our locations worldwide, including the U.S., and execute these investments quickly. In February 2026, in just 15 months after making the final investment decision, we reached the next milestone: the start of bushing assembly at our first U.S. manufacturing facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our $60 million investment in our new HSP factory is one of the most significant contributions to U.S. high-voltage manufacturing in recent years. The ramp-up of the eleventh production facility in our global network is fully on track; full production is scheduled for July 2026. By 2030 up to 140 jobs will be created, supporting not just the build-out of the future U.S. energy grid but also North Carolina’s economy.

“Made in America” is not a slogan for us; it is a strategic commitment to meet the massive U.S. energy needs with local manufacturing capabilities. We have already secured multiple long-term supply agreements with major transformer manufacturers and key hyperscalers in the U.S., reaffirming our role as a key player expanding and modernizing the U.S. energy grid. Local production means shorter lead times and a decisive competitive edge in a market where every month counts.

Europe: the clock is ticking

While the U.S. is at the forefront on building a high-voltage grid ready for big data and AI, Europe is still debating.

Skepticism in the public sphere is one thing. But hyperscalers do not read opinion pieces; they want to build data centers at scale. And these need power. If we want them to come to Europe, we need to act. Fast. Without rapid grid modernization, Europe will once again fall behind the rest of the world.

According to IEA data, data center electricity consumption will double globally to 945 TWh by 2030*. Europe will be facing massive and increasing energy demand, too. The only question is whether the grid will be ready when it arrives. Europe cannot afford another cycle of deliberation over action. Because the grid does not care about skepticism, it cares about delivery, stability, and resilience.

Trench Group is ready. The U.S. is ready. Is Europe?

* IEA, Energy and AI 2025, Energy and AI—Analysis – IEA