The Hidden Supply Chain Risk in AI: US Reliance on China’s Yttrium

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Senior Research Associate Jahara Matisek, and Macdonald Amoah write about the biggest consequence of the artificial intelligence (AI) buildout.  Aside from the water, electrical, and mineral demands, it is the scramble for gas turbines. Data centers, especially hyperscale AI centers, need power at an immense scale that many local grids cannot deliver, forcing developers to build their own large-scale natural gas generation in the race. April 9, 2026.