Core Insights - The report from Barclays highlights a critical reality behind the AI frenzy: power supply has become a significant bottleneck in the industry [1] - The data center industry is facing severe shortages of electricity, labor, and resources, leading to a "scarcity mindset" among developers, utility companies, and equipment vendors [1][2] - The industry is being forced to adopt aggressive self-rescue measures, including the establishment of "island" projects that operate independently from the grid [3] Group 1: Industry Challenges - The demand driven by AI has pushed the data center industry to a breaking point, with participants believing that growth has surpassed resource capacity [2] - The key issue is not a lack of generation capacity but rather an outdated transmission network that cannot handle the concentrated demand surges [2] - Some utility companies are struggling to even respond to requests from data center developers, indicating a significant operational gap [2] Group 2: Shift to "Island" Operations - The move towards "island" operations is no longer a temporary solution but has become the only way to achieve timely computing power deployment [3] - Developers are not choosing to build their own power plants voluntarily; rather, they are compelled to do so due to the inadequacies of the existing grid [3] Group 3: Risks of AI Workload Fluctuations - "Island" operations present new risks due to the extreme power fluctuations associated with AI workloads, which can spike from idle to peak power in milliseconds [4] - The scarcity of engineers capable of conducting necessary power system studies poses a significant challenge, with only 1-2% of engineers specializing in this area [4] - The rush to implement "island" projects without adequate planning and expertise could lead to substantial operational risks, complicating the investment landscape further [4]