AI and Cryptocurrency will double data center energy consumption by 2026.
Inputs that matter: "You would be talking about the size of a country like the Netherlands regarding electricity consumption," Dutch scientist Alex De Vries told the BBC.
- ChatGPT alone uses half a million kilowatt-hours per day.
- Mish Talk reports, "Global electricity demand is expected to rise faster over the next three years, growing by an average of 3.4% annually through 2026."
- "By 2025, global nuclear generation is forecast to exceed its previous record set in 2021."
The opportunity: "I think we still don't appreciate the energy needs of this technology," Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said at a public appearance in Davos.
- Tom's Hardware states, "An IEA Electricity 2024 report warns that ChatGPT requests cost nearly ten times more than a Google search in power."
- Altman declares that we need an energy breakthrough such as fusion.
- Reuters reports, "The United States and Japan announced a joint partnership on Wednesday to accelerate the development and commercialization of nuclear fusion."
- TechCrunch details that Proxima Fusion, the first spin-out from the lauded Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), raised €20 million ($21.7 million) in a seed round to begin building its first generation of fusion power plants.
- Another fusion startup, Helion Energy, raised a $500 million Series E two years ago, led by Sam Altman.
Zoom in: The UN 2030 agenda aims for net zero emissions, but the New Yorker asks, "How can the world reach zero if it keeps inventing new ways to consume energy?"
- The Independent explains that nuclear fusion is described as the "holy grail" of clean energy, providing near-limitless energy by mimicking the natural reactions that occur within the Sun.
Between the lines: The new approach to fusion is only possible because AI can simulate the behavior of the plasma, thus bringing the prospect of viable nuclear fusion nearer, Dr. Francesco Sciortino, co-founder and CEO of Proxima Fusion, told TechCrunch.
- In fusion, you use hydrogen and helium, two light elements that, when combined, form an atom weighing less than the original atoms.
Follow the money: Sam Altman has invested $375 million in Helion Energy.
- According to The Independent, "Last year, the company became the first in the world to secure a purchase agreement for nuclear fusion energy after Microsoft made it part of their plan to transition to clean energy sources by the end of the decade."
- "This first fusion power plant, for which the feasibility is being assessed in Chelan (County), will produce electricity that will go to the grid; (energy company) Constellation will serve as the Power Marketer for Helion's first customer, Microsoft," explains Jessie Barton, Helion communications director.
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Read More
- https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-AI-Revolution-Has-a-Problem-Energy.html
- https://mishtalk.com/economics/ai-cryptocurrency-will-double-data-center-energy-consumption-by-2026/
- https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-obscene-energy-demands-of-ai
- https://www.vox.com/climate/2024/3/28/24111721/ai-uses-a-lot-of-energy-experts-expect-it-to-double-in-just-a-few-years
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/ai-may-eventually-consume-a-quarter-of-americas-power-by-2030-warns-arm-ceo
- https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-japan-announce-joint-partnership-accelerate-nuclear-fusion-sources-2024-04-10/
- https://www.ecoticias.com/en/proton-engine-einstein-created/868/
- https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/09/proxima-fusion-raises-21m-to-build-on-its-stellarator-approach-to-nuclear-fusion/
- https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/business/fusions-future-helion-eyes-valley-for-groundbreaking-energy-venture/article_82be36e0-f779-11ee-a85a-776409f97f66.html