Due to the surge in demand brought on by the AI boom, power consumption in data centers is projected to double by 2030. This increase is mainly because AI, such as chatbots powered by GPT, consumes ten times more power than a Google search.
On the 29th, Reuters reported that according to a study released by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), data centers are expected to consume 9% of the total power produced in the U.S. by 2030. This is more than double the current power consumption of data centers.
While forecasts may shift with the introduction of advanced technologies like generative AI, which necessitates building new data centers, and depending on the energy efficiency of these facilities, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) predicts that data center power consumption will increase annually by at least 3.7% to a maximum of 15% by 2030. Established in 1972, EPRI is a prominent energy research organization in the U.S.
Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT at the end of 2022, data centers have emerged as one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide. This growth has driven the development of the U.S. power industry, which has been stagnant for 20 years, along with U.S. manufacturing and the electrification of public transportation. According to U.S. power companies, a large data center requires as much power as is supplied to 750,000 households for high-density computing and cooling systems.
Reuters warned that doubling data center power usage could strain the U.S. power grid, potentially leading to higher electricity rates and power outages.
Searches using ChatGPT consume more than ten times the electricity of a Google search. EPRI predicts that using generative AI to create movies and music will cause a surge in electricity consumption. OpenAI’s video generation AI, Sora, launched last February, has shocked many with its high level of sophistication.
EPRI advised improving energy efficiency in data centers and investing more in power grids, stating, “With 5.3 billion global internet users, widespread adoption of these tools could potentially lead to a step change in power requirements.” EPRI revealed that as of 2023, about 80% of U.S. data centers are concentrated in 15 states, including Virginia and Texas.
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