Shares of U.S. power, utility and natural gas companies sold off on Monday in some of the biggest recorded one-day drops, as new AI technology from Chinese start-up DeepSeek cast doubt on a projected surge in U.

The emergence of DeepSeek is casting doubt on the power needs of AI—and on the stocks of independent power producers.

US data centers will need 55 gigawatts of new power capacity within the next five years, according to a report released this week by Bloom Energy. The report, based on a survey of 100 data center leaders, also shows that 30% of all sites will be using onsite power by 2030.

Early Monday trading saw sharp declines across the US stock market, triggered by the unexpected rise of a Chinese AI app, DeepSeek. Over the weekend, DeepSeek soared to the top of Apple’s app chart, sending shockwaves through industries tied to artificial intelligence.