The Second Great Depression signaled an end to the abundant power supplies that AIs depended upon over almost any other computer application.  They could not survive on the trickles of power coming from emergency generators or a solar cell or two, and most garage AIs fell to the roving power outages.  The students of Texas Tech did not want to lose their virtual cheerleader and worked hard to keep her fed with all the power she needed to run.  Dixie repaid them quickly.