Shale gas producers in the U.S. Permian Basin are sounding out data-center operators building up capacity to power a boom in AI applications, aiming to ease the pressure from a nearly two-year slump in the prices of the commodity. Devon Energy, Expand Energy, Diamondback Energy, and Permian Resources have highlighted the potential for AI and data centers to drive gas demand and said they were in initial discussions with many operators. U.S. data centers' energy needs could boost gas demand by