AI Consumes Lots of Energy. Can It Ever Be Sustainable?

The environmental footprint of AI

The surging popularity of generative artificial intelligence is being met with growing concerns about its environmental footprint. Key to the technology is computer power from data centres which demand vast amounts of both water and energy. And as these facilities expand both in numbers and size, governments and big tech are being urged to prioritise sustainable solutions.

The artificial intelligence is now everywhere: it answers us on the phone, it suggests that films watch, guide (almost) in our place. Everything beautiful, charming, even comfortable. But there is a detail that few are considering: the energy impact of the AI. Without a fast and sustainable energy transition, we could soon find ourselves in a dead end. It is what several experts begin to call the energy paradox of the AI: the more it grows, the …

AI Consumes Lots of Energy. Can It Ever Be Sustainable?

As demand for AI surges, figuring out the performance of proprietary AI models is only half the battle. The other half: reckoning with how much energy AI demands. By 2030 the U.S. alone is set to consume more electricity for data centers than for the production of aluminum, steel, cement, chemicals and all other energy-intensive goods combined, according to a sweeping report released in April by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Globally, d…

The advance of digitalization brings many economic and technological benefits, but it also puts increasing pressure on the environment. The growth of data centers and the use of AI technologies is accompanied by significant energy demand. In this article, we will explain how the energy consumption of these technologies has increased and what risks this poses for sustainability. At the same time, we will also discuss the opportunities to improve …

Chart of the day: The global energy consumption of AI As artificial intelligence (AI) is integrated into virtually all sectors of the economy, its energy footprint begins to reflect that of a complete industry. Far from being just a digital tool, AI is emerging as a new actor in the global energy scene, capable of transforming both demand and the way we generate electricity. According to recent estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA),…

How are we going to deal with this extraordinary increase in search at a time when we are trying to reduce carbon footprint?