The Underpants Gnomes' Step 2

Source Barry Ritholtz posted this up-and-right chart, which is a classic of exponential extrapolation. Given the difficulty, delays, and cost of bringing the current generation of data center projects on-line, highlighted by Oracle's "force majeure" on a 2.5GW project which is clearly not going to be complete next year, the idea that 4-5GW projects will be up and running in 2029 seems optimistic. Below the fold I apply some skepticism, because this is starting to look like the classic South Park episode Gnomes: The episode is also known for the nonsensical business plan that the gnomes of the title devise, whose three steps consist of: Collect underpants ? Profit which later became a common meme used to mock poorly-thought-out business and political strategies. Ritholtz' graph came from a report from David Crawford et al of Bain entitled New Innovation Is Required to Fund AI’s $6 Trillion Buildout which projects that: By 2031, annual spending on AI infrastructure could reach $1.5…