The future of data centers is set to take a huge bite out of the US power grid. A DOE-backed report from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab predicts that US data center energy use could triple by 2028, accounting for up to 12% of the country’s electricity.
Currently, data centers consume only 4% of US power demand. However, with AI servers at their core, power draw has doubled since 2017. This is largely due to the high-energy requirements of complex machine learning algorithms and heat generated by GPU chips, which pushes cooling systems to work overtime.
The report warns that this surge could strain electrical grids, drive up energy prices, and raise concerns about climate impact. To mitigate these issues, researchers are calling for greater transparency around data center energy use and efficiency improvements. However, Big Tech companies are reluctant to share their proprietary power habits.
A recent study found that scaling up solar and wind power is not keeping pace with the growing demand from data centers. Even when renewable energy sources are available, fossil fuels remain necessary to back up the grid.
If this trend continues, AI’s energy footprint could rival entire industries. The true cost of our AI-powered future may be a blackout waiting to happen unless the industry prioritizes efficiency improvements.
Source: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Data-Centers-Are-Eating-the-Grid-Alive.html