Babbage from The Economist (subscriber edition) Power play: will AI help or harm the climate?
Apr 9, 2025
In this discussion, AI writer Alex Hern delves into the environmental impact of AI systems, detailing the energy consumption of data centers. He highlights the paradox of AI's potential to both harm and help the climate, with applications ranging from optimizing electricity grids to detecting methane leaks. They also tackle the ethical considerations of AI's energy demands, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices. Lastly, Hern explores how responsible deployment of AI could play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change.
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Data Center Visit
- Alok Jha visited a CERN data center, observing the energy use of servers and cooling systems.
- Data centers like CERN's, but larger, power everything online, from streaming to ChatGPT.
AI's Energy Consumption
- Data centers have a growing environmental footprint, especially with AI's rise.
- A single ChatGPT query uses almost 10 times more electricity than a Google search.
Nuclear Power for AI
- Big tech companies are exploring radical solutions for AI's energy demands.
- Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are investing in nuclear power for their data centers.