What rising demand and AI mean for existing power assets

Global power demand is accelerating faster than many could have expected.

Driven by the explosive growth of accessible AI, data center expansion, and rapid electrification across industries, energy systems are under growing pressure to deliver more capacity, more quickly, and with greater reliability.

And all the while, volatility has become the norm.

Supply chains are still under pressure. Project timelines keep slipping. And operators are expected to deliver today while quietly building resilience for what comes next.

Set against that reality, Ana Amicarella, CEO of EthosEnergy, has been delivering a steady message on international stages.

Her view is simple enough. Over the next decade, the advantage will sit with organizations that move fast – and get more value from the assets they already own.

In this article, we’ll explore what that shift means in practice, and why existing power assets are becoming so important to future energy strategies. 

Unprecedented demand and longer lead times

Why existing assets are becoming a strategic advantage

Against that backdrop, existing assets are taking on a very different role.

Rather than being treated as fixed, aging infrastructure, fleets are being re-examined for what extra value they can deliver.

Life extension, refurbishment, and targeted optimization are increasingly practical ways to add capacity, improve efficiency, and buy time – without waiting years for new equipment to arrive.

That momentum is visible across the wider market.

By the mid-2030s, the global gas turbine services market is expected to be worth around USD 54.6 billion.

That doesn’t come from a single spike. It’s the result of steady growth – roughly 8.8% a year – as operators continue to invest in maintenance, repairs, overhauls, and extending the working life of existing turbines.

Ana speaks consistently about this shift.

Unlocking more performance from installed assets helps operators move faster, keep a tighter grip on costs, and stay flexible as market conditions shift.

What used to be treated as a short-term fix is now being folded into long-term planning – not as a compromise, but as a deliberate choice.

Predictive analytics and remote operations as enablers

Of course, extending asset life only works if risk is understood and managed.

That’s where predictive analytics and remote operations come in.

EthosEnergy currently monitors around 40 gigawatts of power through its remote diagnostics network, drawing insight from turbine and balance-of-plant data in near real time.

The real value sits in the early signal.

Small patterns, which are easy to miss, often show up long before they start dragging on day-to-day performance. Spot them early, and operators have time to plan – not scramble after a failure.

Ana has been clear on another point, too. Many reliability issues don’t actually start in the turbine itself.

Having a broader, data-driven view helps reduce uncertainty, align maintenance with operational priorities, and keep assets available even as operating demands increase.

How AI is reshaping power planning

We know that AI is increasing energy needs – in fact, demand from AI-optimized data centers is expected to quadruple by 2030, intensifying electricity needs as AI deployment accelerates.

But AI is also changing how power decisions are made.

From Ana’s experience with AI-driven customers, she sees that they are approaching energy with a very different mindset.

Speed to power, density, and reliability have moved to the top of the list. In many cases, they now matter more than long-term build-out plans that simply can’t keep up with digital growth.

That shift is pushing operators to rethink how capacity is delivered.

Instead of waiting years for new builds to come online, many are asking a more immediate question – how existing infrastructure can be adapted, redeployed, or refurbished to meet today’s demand.

In some cases, this is leading to the emergence of more decentralized “electrical islands”. These are self-contained power solutions designed to bring large-scale capacity online quickly by making smarter use of available assets.

The result is a more agile approach to power planning. Because flexibility matters – and so does responsiveness. And the intelligent use of existing infrastructure now carries as much weight as total installed capacity.

Leadership priorities for the next decade

Taken together, these shifts point to a clear set of priorities for leaders navigating the years ahead.

Speed to power is important – but so is reliability.

Flexibility in how existing assets are deployed and maintained is fast becoming essential. And predictive insight is what enables confident, timely decisions.

Ana’s perspective is clear on this point. The organizations that perform best over the next decade won’t simply be the biggest. They’ll be the ones that move faster, manage risk more intelligently, and extract more value from what they already operate.

The road ahead for asset owners

Change isn’t slowing down.

Demand keeps rising. Timelines stay tight. And uncertainty isn’t going anywhere.

That doesn’t mean operators are stuck reacting.

In fact, there’s room to get ahead of the pressure. Making more of existing assets creates options – particularly when it’s supported by solid data, sharper insight, and flexible planning.

It helps teams deal with immediate pressures while staying ready for what comes next.

To see how EthosEnergy views these shifts in practice, explore our latest insights and industry commentary.

If you would like to explore how EthosEnergy can support you during this nest stage of growth, please reach out to us.