Big Oil Sees AI Boom Driving ‘Crazy Demand’ for US Natural Gas

A surge in energy demand from technology giants that are rapidly developing cloud computing and artificial intelligence — known as hyperscalers — is becoming a major boon for the fossil fuel industry.

That’s was the view of Murray Auchincloss, chief executive officer of BP Plc, who sees the technology sector’s hunger for reliable energy supplies driving natural gas demand growth in the US.

“Hyperscalers are driving crazy demand into natural gas right now,” Auchincloss said on Tuesday during a presentation to investors. “I’m pretty optimistic on natural gas prices through the decade.”

The surge in energy demand from ...