Middle Eastern energy officials are sounding alarms about what's coming after 2035. The concern? A perfect storm brewing where investment in LNG infrastructure isn't keeping pace with demand—and AI's explosive growth is accelerating the timeline.

Here's the thing: data centers powering AI models are energy-hungry beasts. We're talking about consumption levels that could rival entire countries. Meanwhile, capital flowing into new liquefied natural gas projects has slowed considerably. The math isn't adding up.

Qatar's energy leadership sees the gap widening. Traditional forecasting models didn't account for AI's exponential scaling. Machine learning facilities need constant power, and natural gas remains a preferred transition fuel for many regions moving away from coal.

The timeline matters. Projects approved today won't deliver supply until the mid-2030s. If investment decisions keep getting delayed while tech companies build out massive compute infrastructure, we're staring at a serious supply crunch. Energy markets might get a lot more volatile than anyone's pricing in right now.