Megawatts, Not Tokens: New Book by Yasin Kasirga Takes On the Biggest Question of the AI Era

Energy industry leader Yasin Kasirga is taking on one of the defining forces shaping our future: AI. As the AI revolution accelerates, one critical question is emerging: what will it take to power it?

Published this September, Megawatts, Not Tokens: AI, Energy and Sustainability goes beyond the technology to examine the real-world cost of AI, in energy, emissions and money. Written for business leaders, policymakers and curious readers beyond the technology and energy sectors, the book offers an accessible perspective on the increasingly powerful intersection of AI, energy and sustainability.

The premise is simple. Every AI answer is generated in a physical data center that draws real power from a real grid. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers consumed about 415 terawatt hours of electricity in 2024, and that figure is projected to approach 945 terawatt hours by 2030, roughly the annual electricity consumption of Japan. One of the book's chapters is titled "One More Japan."

"The AI conversation is full of models, tokens and chips," Kasirga says. "The bill arrives somewhere else. It arrives in megawatts and in emissions. I wrote this book so that anyone can follow the electricity behind every AI answer, without needing an engineering degree."

Written in sixteen chapters across four parts, the book moves from how a large language model actually works, to the power plants, grids and water behind it, the economics of a gigawatt, and the community and climate questions that decide whether projects get built at all. Every figure in the book is named, dated and taken as of mid-2026. Kasirga frames it as a record of the year AI and the power sector collided.

The book closes on a principle Kasirga has named: Responsible Build. It carries one demand addressed to the industry: every new AI investment should make its decarbonization plan public on the day it is announced.

"We know that AI data centers will keep being built," Kasirga says. "Making them sustainable is a design decision, and that decision is taken on day one, long before the first server arrives. Responsible AI starts with Responsible Build."

About the Author

Yasin Kasirga is an energy industry leader, strategic advisor, author and educator with more than twenty years of experience across Türkiye, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He has brought more than 11 gigawatts of power generation to life with his teams, across five technologies and three continents, including more than 25 wind farms, and led GE Vernova's Middle East and Africa decarbonization business.

In 2023, Kasirga served as Senior Energy Advisor to the COP28 Presidency, on secondment to the Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change. He is among COP28 Presidency officials credited with coordinating and compiling the landmark report on tripling renewable power and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, issued by COP28, IRENA and the Global Renewables Alliance.

He is the Founder and CEO of Qasirga Advisory in Dubai and is pursuing a Doctorate of Management on "Sustainability and Net-Zero Stakeholder Impact" at UCAM. A graduate of GE's XLP leadership program and Harvard Business School Online, Kasirga also leads the Harvard Business School Online Dubai Chapter.

An international speaker, writer and masterclass facilitator, Kasirga helps business leaders understand the often-overlooked relationship between AI, energy consumption, economics and emissions. His AI, Energy and Sustainability Masterclass introduces his "Nexus Lens", connecting every AI token to its economic, energy, resource and emissions footprint.

Kasirga is the author of Megawatts, Not Tokens: AI, Energy and Sustainability, published this September. He is also the author of the forthcoming 20 Years, 20 Stories: Real Life Lessons in Leadership, Business, Networking & Influence, which draws on two decades of professional experience and personal leadership lessons.

Megawatts, Not Tokens: AI, Energy and Sustainability is available in ebook, paperback and hardcover at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HH13LXN1

Every source in the book is listed in full, with live links, at https://yasinkasirga.com/books/sources