Plain Talk: 'Why not? We have it.'

On this episode, North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart talks AI data centers, utility prices, and her re-election campaign.

Original article: https://www.inforum.com/opinion/columns/plain-talk-why-not-we-have-it

Watch the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnU9u-sBD60&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.inforum.com%2F

North Dakota has become a destination for investment in building out America's artificial intelligence infrastructure. Specifically, the massive, power-hungry data centers that enable the sort of cloud computing necessary to make AI work.

Public Service Commissioner Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, who serves on the triumvirate that oversees things like utility processes and power infrastructure, is enthusiastic about this investment. And, despite some critics saying the data centers will drive up utility prices, she's confident they're a good fit for the state.

"AI is here to stay. It's here. So where is their capacity?" she said on this episode of Plain Talk. "North Dakota has a lot of resources to fulfill that. So, why not? We have it."

"We have good regulatory oversight," she continued. "I think we work well together, and we want to control that AI versus having someone like China or another adversary control our AI. So let's work together. Let's be good stewards and let's control it, and if we have the capacity, let's use it to serve."

Haugen-Hoffart said North Dakota has the cheapest electrical rates in the country, and she's confident that would remain the case even with AI data centers coming online. She also pointed out that the power consumption for some of the data centers — at least those built by Applied Digital, which is working on a major investment near Harwood — is "interruptable."

The first-term incumbent also indicated that she will be seeking reelection next year.

That's "my plan right now, absolutely," she said.

Haugen-Hoffart was first appointed in 2022 to complete the six-year term to which current Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus was elected. That appointment was confirmed on the statewide ballot in 2024, and now that term is up for reelection again in 2026.

Also on this episode, we discussed North Dakota's gambling boom, which has grown  far beyond the state's capacity to regulate it,  and whether our state should embrace a new philosophy of  promoting from within,  as opposed to hiring from outside the state, when it comes to key government leadership positions.