A new study warned that artificial intelligence technology could cause a significant surge in electricity consumption. The paper, published in the journal Joule, details the potential future energy output of AI systems, noting that generative AI technology relies on powerful servers and that increased use could drive a spike in demand for energy.
The worst-case scenario suggests Google’s AI alone could consume as much electricity as a country such as Ireland , which is a significant increase compared to its historical AI-related energy consumption,' the authors wrote. They cautioned that such an example 'assumes full-scale AI adoption utilizing current hardware and software, which is unlikely to happen rapidly.
is very similar to Bitcoin mining. In both cases, processing power is used at very high intensity to solve problems. You cannot lessen the energy consumption, but you can mitigate it,' Alexander said. 'For example, alternative energy, like natural gas from oil drilling that is burned off rather than used is a major untapped energy source along with biogas from landfills.