Scientific American article discusses the energy requirements for AI via an interview of Alex de Cries, a data scientist and Ph.D. candidate studying the energy costs of emerging technologies. He suggests that sustainability of AI should be included as a risk factor for AI developments.
Data centers, whether or not AI is hosted by them, are large consumers of energy. Energy is required to run the centers and energy is required to keep the centers cool. In the Atlanta market, energy requirements for data centers in 2022 was 97 megawatts, in 2023 that requirement passed 120 megawatts in the first half of the year. Just a year ago, the company received approval from the PSC for a plan that met customer needs for the next 20 years. Now, the company is looking for solutions to meet “greater capacity needs”. Consumers will, of course, fund any expansion. De Vries’ study is found here
Jim's Blog 