Eric Smalley at The Conversation: Asking ChatGPT a question is quite a bit different from searching on Google. This is for a number of reasons. But one that can be overlooked is that AI queries use about 10 times more energy than traditional search engines.
Therein lies a major problem for the already-strained electrical grid, particularly given the explosive growth in artificial intelligence and its attendant surge in data center construction. Ayse Coskun sets out why the AI-driven growth in data centers is a problem, why the threat is greater in some places than others, and what researchers and technology companies are doing to keep AI from overwhelming the grid.
Ayse Coskun writes at The Conversation: At 2.9 watt-hours per ChatGPT request, AI queries require about 10 times the electricity of traditional Google queries, according to the Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit research firm. Emerging AI capabilities such as audio and video generation are likely to add to this energy demand.
The energy needs of AI are shifting the calculus of energy companies. They’re now exploring previously untenable options, such as restarting a nuclear reactor at the Three Mile Island power plant that has been dormant since the infamous disaster in 1979…
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