Existing data centers already consumed 349 terawatt hours in 2022, as per a Goldman Sachs estimate. Without additional carbon-free power sources, pollution from AI training and usage could drastically increase. This context sheds light on Sam Altman's significant investment of over $375 million in fusion power.
Key takeaways:
- AI's demand for electricity is expected to significantly increase in the future, potentially causing power shortages for data centers.
- New servers last year required 195 terawatt-hours of electricity, equivalent to the annual usage of 18 million households.
- By 2027, new servers could demand 500 terawatt-hours, or the equivalent of 46 million households' annual usage.
- Without additional sources of carbon-free power, pollution from AI training and use could drastically increase.