The year is 2040. Data centers have proliferated across the Central Valley, powering multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence companies in Silicon Valley. To meet their soaring energy needs, hundreds of miles of new electric transmission lines have been built, along with battery storage facilities. Some of these data centers get their power from the grid, while others attach directly to a new power source: clean energy generated by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

This is the vision Ian Choudri, who took the helm of the rail authority last year, has been outlining in closed-door meetings with elected officials and at industry forums. The long-delayed bullet train, he contends, is more than a transportation project. It’s an energy corridor, a catalyst for real estate developmen

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