We discover that the same exact consultation, with the same exact energy demand, will have a very different climate impact depending on why the data center is fed, and that depends on the location and time of day. For example, the consultation of a data center in Virginia Occidental could cause almost twice the emissions to consult one in California, according to calculations based on average data of 2024.
This point shows why it matters where technological giants are building data centers, how the grid looks in their chosen locations and how that could change with more demand from the new infrastructure.
3. There is still so much that we do not know when it comes to the and energy.
Our reports resulted in estimates that are some of the most specific and comprehensive. But ultimately, we still have no idea what many of the largest and most influential models are added in terms of energy and emissions. None of the companies we communicated were willing to provide numbers during our reports. Not one.
Adding our estimates can only go so far, partly because AI is increasingly everywhere. While today you may have to go to a dedicated place and write questions, in the future AI could be sewn in the fabric of our interactions with technology. (See my colleague the new story of Douglas Heaven in the Google I/O showcase: “By putting Ai in everything, Google wants to make it invisible”).
AI could be one of the main forces that shape our society, our work and our power network. Knowing more about its consequences could be crucial to plan our future.
To deepen our reports, read the main story. And if you are looking for more details about how our numbers came up, you can see this piece behind the scene.
There are also some great related stories in this package, including one of James Temple in the rise of the Data Center in the Nevada Desert, one by David Rotman about how AI’s rise could strengthen natural gas, and one of Will Douglas Heaven in some technical innovations that could help make AI more efficient. Ah, and I also have a piece about why nuclear is not the easy answer that some think it is.
Find them, and the rest of the stories in the package, here.
This article is from the spark, MIT technology reviewThe weekly climate bulletin. To receive it on your entrance tray every Wednesday, Register here.
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