ESG & Investing
Power-Guzzling AI to Drive ESG Debt Sales, Morgan Stanley Says
- Sales could reach or exceed 2021 record level: Melissa James
- Issuers in hard-to-abate sectors also seen coming to market
A power substation near a data center in Ashburn, Virginia.
Photographer: Nathan Howard/BloombergThe global artificial intelligence frenzy is driving demand for energy-intensive data centers, which could end up being a factor that boosts sales of green debt in the US, according to Morgan Stanley.
Sales of ESG-linked bonds in the US have plunged over the last few years as Republicans push back on ESG investing and investors fret over greenwashing concerns. But data centers’ growing electricity needs to sustain the AI boom could fuel demand for more energy, including from renewable resources. That’s likely to bolster sales of green debt, said Melissa James, vice chairman of global capital markets at Morgan Stanley.