Knowledge Networks Convenes Lawmakers, Regulators & Builders in Northern Virginia to Confront the Power Demands of AI

Knowledge Networks convened in Vienna, VA, for "Powering the AI Decade" to address critical energy, permitting & financing challenges for US AI infrastructure

VIENNA, VA, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Knowledge Networks, The American Bazaar, RegulatingAI and AI on the Ballot hosted “Powering the AI Decade,” a forum on the energy, permitting, financing and public trust questions behind America’s AI infrastructure buildout

Knowledge Networks, together with The American Bazaar, RegulatingAI and AI on the Ballot, convened members of Congress, Virginia state legislators, county supervisors, utility regulators, data center developers, investors and policy analysts on October 15 for Powering the AI Decade. Held in Vienna, Virginia, the forum brought every layer of the AI infrastructure debate into one room to address a single question: how does the United States build the data centers and power capacity that AI requires, and who carries the cost?
The setting carried weight. Northern Virginia hosts one of the largest concentrations of data centers in the world, and its residents, utilities and elected officials now sit at the center of national decisions on grid capacity, land use and electricity rates. Across five sessions, speakers moved from construction realities to grid costs, permitting, capital risk and public opinion.

The Builders: What It Actually Takes to Get Built
The opening panel examined the practical requirements for moving AI infrastructure from announcement to operation. Moderated by Erin McPike, Managing Director at FTI Consulting, the session featured Nancy Novak, Chief Innovation Officer at Compass Datacenters; Jordan Crenshaw, Senior Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Ceren Susut, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grid Controls and Security.

Who Pays for the Grid
The second panel took on cost allocation as data center load grows and ratepayers ask who funds new transmission and generation. Michael Taylor, Executive Director of RegulatingAI, moderated a discussion with Ted Trabue, Interim Chairman of the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia; Stephen D. Haner, Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment at the Thomas Jefferson Institute; Michael Giberson, Senior Fellow for Energy at the R Street Institute; and Andrew Major, Utilities Attorney at the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

Permission to Build: Federal, State and Local
Elected officials from every level of government addressed how permitting and siting decisions move, and where they stall. Miranda Nazzaro, Senior Technology Reporter at The Hill, moderated a panel with Rep. James Walkinshaw (VA-11), Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Virginia State Sen. Kannan Srinivasan and Jon C. Porter, CEO of Porter Group.

Financing the Build: Capital Funding and Policy Risk
The fourth panel focused on how investors and insurers price regulatory uncertainty into infrastructure projects. Francis McCabe, Partner at Hughes Hubbard, moderated a conversation with Barbara Gutierrez, Managing Director for Energy, Power and Renewables at Aon; Rachel Rosenfeld, Senior Counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright; and Del. J.J. Singh of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing Loudoun.

Signature Session – AI on the Ballot: What the Public Is Telling Washington
The closing session turned to voters. Drawing on the work of AI on the Ballot, panelists explored how constituents view data center growth, energy costs and AI, and what those views mean for policymakers. Ben Iorio, President of the Geopolitical Insight and Education Foundation, moderated a panel with Del. John McAuliff of Loudoun; Supervisor Michael R. Turner, Vice Chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (Ashburn District); Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony (Little River District, Loudoun County); Jessica Mason, Senior Analyst at Embold Research; and Del. Irene Shin of Fairfax.

A Shared Agenda
“America cannot lead in AI if it cannot power it. The decisions that will settle this decade are being made in utility commissions, county boards and statehouses, and Virginia is where that test begins. Powering the AI Decade put every one of those decision-makers in the same room, because no single group can solve this alone,” said Sanjay K. Puri, Founder and Chairman of Knowledge Networks.

Knowledge Networks and its partners will carry the conversation forward through RegulatingAI and AI on the Ballot programming in the months ahead, bringing the voices of builders, regulators and voters to the policymakers writing the rules for America’s AI infrastructure.

About Knowledge Networks
Knowledge Networks is a Washington, D.C.-based AI governance organization founded by Sanjay K. Puri. Through platforms including RegulatingAI, AI on the Ballot, CAIO Connect, the Universal AI Awards and its fellowship programs, Knowledge Networks connects policymakers, industry leaders and the public on the responsible development of artificial intelligence.

Upasana Das
Knowledge Networks
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