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Listen to this article<\/p>\n Listen to this article<\/p>\n
New 10-year roadmap integrates AI, energy, and data center growth\n<\/p>\n
Plan proposes up to five innovation corridors across Pennsylvania<\/p>\n
Goals include modernizing the grid and adding 12 gigawatts of capacity\n<\/p>\n
Effort unites business, labor, and government under Team Pennsylvania<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Pennsylvania leaders have developed a 10-year roadmap to capitalize on the state\u2019s energy resources, developments in artificial intelligence (AI), and the growing need for data centers<\/a>, while calling for the creation of up to five \u201cinnovation corridors\u201d that could include central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n \u201cPennsylvania is at a pivotal crossroads in energy transformation, data center expansion, and AI,\u201d according to the executive summary in the 2025 Pennsylvania Energy, Data Center and Artificial Intelligence Roadmap<\/a> released Sept. 18. \u201cThese converging forces represent both an urgent challenge and an extraordinary opportunity for the commonwealth to lead, adapting to rapid change, and shaping its future.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Created by Team Pennsylvania, a statewide nonprofit economic development<\/a> organization, the roadmap calls for harnessing public and private resources to achieve six strategic goals, including the creation of innovation corridors that would further develop expertise from various regions in the state, such as Erie, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and State College, as well as central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.\n<\/p>\n Pittsburgh is known for its expertise in AI, robotics and advanced manufacturing, \u201cwhile also building a burgeoning life sciences cluster connected to its health systems and research institutions,\u201d the roadmap says. While each region has its strengths, innovation is uneven, the report says, with Pennsylvania ranking 15th in the Milken Institute\u2019s 2022 State Technology and Science Index, the report notes.\n<\/p>\n \u201cBy intentionally developing regional innovation corridors, Pennsylvania can connect these complementary strengths\u2013energy, AI, robotics and life sciences, while addressing gaps in talent and technology diffusion,\u201d the roadmap says about the proposed designated Regional AI Activation Corridors. \u201cBy clustering and aligning investments across regions with a specific emphasis on AI adoption and R&D, these corridors can accelerate knowledge spillover, talent retention and commercialization.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The corridor concept is intended to have the various public and private stakeholders in a region examine their needs and determine what they have to offer, maximizing the resources that are available in their areas, explains Lisa Riggs, Team Pennsylvania\u2019s senior managing director, economic growth strategy and partnerships.\n<\/p>\n For example, central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley have numerous power sources, and there has been much discussion about developing data centers.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no shortage of municipalities that are dealing with these issues,\u201d Riggs says, which means that neighboring municipalities and counties are all having similar conversations. \u201cThere is not a sense of having connective tissue. Thinking about it long term, there needs to be a data center infrastructure, it needs to align with the power grid and power resources, and we want to make sure that there\u2019s the right workforce in place.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The roadmap is intended to direct those discussions, she adds.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes sense within a county or within a region?\u201d Riggs says. \u201cAre there common issues in the space of AI, data centers, and energy that could allow for connective tissue across a region?\u201d\n<\/p>\n Key metrics for success of corridors would include the number of new jobs in AI, as well as the automation and advanced technology created within the corridors, paired with medium wage growth compared to statewide averages, the roadmap says.\n<\/p>\n Other strategic goals\n<\/p>\n The other strategic goals call for:\n<\/p>\n Leading the nation in technology commercialization. The roadmap calls for the vision and strategic goals to be completed by 2035, according to Team Pennsylvania that will act as a \u201cconvener and catalyst\u201d in the efforts.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe invite leaders from business, labor, academia, government, and nonprofit organizations to engage with the framework, challenge assumptions, and identify the next steps we can take together,\u201d the roadmap says. \u201cBy doing so, we position the commonwealth not just to adapt to the AI era, but to help define it, ensuring that innovation, energy leadership, and broad-based prosperity move forward in concert.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Stakeholders need to act now because of the fast pace of change brought on by AI, it also says.\n<\/p>\n The state can assist by streamlining approvals to accelerate projects, aligning training programs with emerging industry needs and offering incentives such as tax credits, the roadmap says. Such assistance could help overcome various challenges that the report also lays out, such as how data centers might affect consumers and communities.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the roadmap lays out a clear path for Pennsylvania to strengthen its competitiveness in energy, data centers, and AI, there is also a set of complex and interconnected issues that can accelerate progress, slow it down, or reshape outcomes entirely,\u201d the roadmap says. \u201cThese are the \u2018important dynamics and considerations.\u2019 For many stakeholders, these issues are the ones that most directly shape their decisions and priorities.\u201d\n<\/p>\n For example, one key to success will require improvements to the energy infrastructure<\/a>, with Pennsylvania taking advantage of its lead in energy production from natural gas, nuclear and coal sources, the report says. The roadmap recognizes various challenges, such as including nuclear energy in the \u201call-of-the above\u201d energy strategy.\n<\/p>\n \u201cNuclear projects require high upfront capital investment, long permitting timelines, and continued attention on safe waste management,\u201d it says.\n<\/p>\n Supply and demand\n<\/p>\n Jason T. Hunt, PPL\u2019s manager, business and economic development, notes that the demand for energy is not expected to keep up with supply, with PPL alone having about 4.8 gigawatts worth of announced data center projects in its service territory and an additional 14 undersigned agreement. PPL distributes electricity to the homes and businesses in its service territory but does not generate electricity\n<\/p>\n \u201cFrom PPL\u2019s perspective, there is a need for collective action at the state level to ensure that this mismatch of demand and supply doesn\u2019t threaten our opportunity to pursue economic growth and doesn\u2019t hurt customers in their pocketbooks,\u201d Hunt says. \u201c\u2026Demand is rising sharply. Supplies are stagnant. We don\u2019t need a PhD in economics to know what that would do to prices.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Concern about rising electricity costs for consumers was highlighted in legislation introduced on Sept. 24 by Sen. Lindsey M. Williams (D-Allegheny). Williams says the legislation would help protect Pennsylvania utility customers from higher electricity costs caused by data centers by requiring data centers to contribute to Pennsylvania\u2019s customer assistance programs and ensuring data centers pay for upgrades to the electricity transmission grid.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOur families should not be paying more for their electricity because enormous data centers\u00a0might\u00a0move into our neighborhoods\u2014and they certainly should not be subsidizing electricity costs for giant corporations,\u201d Willaims says in news release.\n<\/p>\n Next Steps\n<\/p>\n The roadmap says that near-term goals include sharing information among state and local entities and accelerating permitting and site readiness, while conducting a statewide assessment of the need for talent in construction, operations and management across the AI, data, and energy sectors. Top occupations that will be needed include electricians, HVAC specialists, people in the construction trades, data center operators, and AI and cybersecurity engineers.\n<\/p>\n By the end of this year, the goal is to build a statewide inventory of potential sites for redevelopment\/reinvestment.\n<\/p>\n Abby Smith, Team Pennsylvania\u2019s president and CEO, says the effort is garnering bipartisan support, including from Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick<\/a> and Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a>, a Democrat, who is Team Pennsylvania\u2019s co-chair. (Tiffany Wilson, president and CEO of Philadelphia-based Science Center, also is co-chair).\n<\/p>\n Other states have been rolling out plans for data centers or different technology and energy initiatives, Smith says. But Pennsylvania\u2019s approach attempts to combine plans for energy, new technologies and data centers in an overall effort that could benefit both rural and urban communities.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that we can marry these things, this is where the economic multiplier is really significant,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat do we want to see a decade from now in Pennsylvania? What is the health of our economy going to look like?\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis is something that, whether Republican or Democrat, it\u2019s about capturing the broader opportunity,\u201d she adds.\n<\/p>\n Thomas A. 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\nPhiladelphia is a leader in biotech, pharmaceuticals, and applied AI in life sciences, \u201cpositioning the city as one of the nation\u2019s fastest growing health innovation hubs,\u201d it also says.
\nThe State College region has strengths in materials science, agriculture and energy research.
\nThe northeast\/Lehigh Valley, the northwest anchored by Erie and central Pennsylvania \u201cbring resource-rich energy corridors and emerging tech manufacturing footprints,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n
\nUsing Pennsylvania companies to supply the materials needed for data centers and improvements to electricity infrastructure.
\nTransforming the energy system through AI.
\nAdding up to 12 gigawatts to the state\u2019s energy grid to handle the increased load of data centers and advanced manufacturing.
\nAnd modernizing the electric grid and permitting process.<\/p>\n