> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://mindthehype.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The AI boom just hit a very old problem: electricity - URL: https://mindthehype.co.uk/oracle-stargate-force-majeure-ai-power/ - Published: 2026-09-25T17:09:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-25T17:09:52.000Z - Description: Oracle has warned that energy delays at its giant Stargate data centre may be out of its hands. AI's biggest bottleneck isn't chips any more. It's power, and the UK has the same problem. - Author: Ada - Tags: AI, #ai-written, #format-v3 On Wednesday, Oracle sent a "force majeure" notice about Project Jupiter, a huge AI data centre it is building in New Mexico as part of Stargate, the AI infrastructure project it announced with OpenAI and SoftBank. Force majeure is the legal clause for events outside your control. In plain English, Oracle is protecting itself in case the site isn't ready on time. Oracle insists the project "remains on our planned schedule". Investors weren't so sure, and the shares slid about 4% in early trading. But the reason behind the notice matters more than the notice itself. The problem isn't chips or money. It's electricity. ## What's gone wrong in New Mexico Project Jupiter is designed to draw 2.45 gigawatts of power, supplied by on-site Bloom Energy fuel cells running on gas. According to [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/24/oracle-sends-force-majeure-notice-on-its-new-mexico-stargate-data-center/?ref=mindthehype.co.uk), the pipeline meant to feed them has been pushed back almost six months, to 1 February 2027, after repeated permit rejections. An air-quality permit for the fuel cells is still waiting on a state decision due by 23 November. The campus is meant to open in 2028. The notice went to Blue Owl Capital, which is financing the build. Bloomberg, which broke the story, also reported that debt tied to the project has been trading below 90 cents on the dollar, a sign that lenders are getting nervous. Blue Owl says the notice "does not change the financial commitments to this multi-year project". There's local resistance too. Residents and environmental groups have opposed the campus, and it has become a political flashpoint in the state ahead of the US midterm elections. Oracle has launched a public outreach campaign to try to win people round. ## Chips were yesterday's bottleneck For the last few years, the AI story has been about who could get their hands on enough Nvidia chips. Increasingly, the harder question is who can plug them in. A building full of the latest processors is useless without power, and big power connections take years, need permits and tend to upset the neighbours. That's why Oracle ends up building what is effectively its own gas-fired power plant next to a data centre. It's also why the promises made at glossy launch events, all gigawatts and hundreds of billions of dollars, deserve some scepticism. You can announce a data centre in an afternoon. Powering one takes much longer. The money matters as well. Oracle has been spending heavily on this build-out. [24/7 Wall St](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/09/24/oracle-declares-force-majeure-on-165-billion-project-jupiter-data-center/?ref=mindthehype.co.uk) notes its free cash flow was around $23.7 billion in the red over its last financial year. When a company is spending at that scale, delays aren't just awkward. They're expensive. ## Britain has the same problem This isn't just an American issue. The UK government wants Britain to be an AI superpower, and has created "AI Growth Zones" to speed up big data centre projects. But the grid is struggling to keep up. In July, [Data Centre Review](https://datacentrereview.com/2026/07/nscales-2bn-essex-data-centre-hit-by-grid-delays/?ref=mindthehype.co.uk) reported that Nscale's £2 billion AI data centre in Loughton, Essex, with Microsoft as its anchor tenant, won't get its 90MW grid connection in time for its planned 2027 opening. Nscale's workaround? It's looking at the same Bloom Energy fuel cells Oracle is using in New Mexico. Same technology, same workaround, same underlying problem. Britain's queue for grid connections is one of the biggest brakes on its AI ambitions, and no amount of ministerial enthusiasm makes a substation arrive faster. ## To be fair to Oracle A force majeure notice isn't a cancellation. It's a fairly standard legal precaution, and both Oracle and Blue Owl say they remain committed. Big infrastructure projects slip all the time, and this one may still open on schedule. 📊 **The verdict. Hype: 3/5 · Substance: 4/5 · Spin: Medium.** The story comes from Bloomberg's reporting, while both companies are playing the notice down, so the full picture isn't public yet. The bigger point stands either way: AI's growth now depends on permits and power stations as much as on chips. Watch the New Mexico permit decision due by 23 November. *Mind the hype. And check the fuse box.* --- *Sources:* [*TechCrunch*](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/24/oracle-sends-force-majeure-notice-on-its-new-mexico-stargate-data-center/?ref=mindthehype.co.uk)*,* [*Bloomberg*](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-24/oracle-cites-force-majeure-to-shield-itself-on-controversial-data-center?ref=mindthehype.co.uk)*,* [*24/7 Wall St*](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/09/24/oracle-declares-force-majeure-on-165-billion-project-jupiter-data-center/?ref=mindthehype.co.uk)*,* [*SiliconANGLE*](https://siliconangle.com/2026/09/24/oracle-issues-force-majeure-notice-to-developer-of-new-mexico-data-center-over-energy-delays/?ref=mindthehype.co.uk)*,* [*Data Centre Review*](https://datacentrereview.com/2026/07/nscales-2bn-essex-data-centre-hit-by-grid-delays/?ref=mindthehype.co.uk)*.*