AI is a humungous electricity hog. That’s great

(Image: Depositphotos)

Sat, 20 Apr 2024

By the Bloomberg editorial boardNext time you ask ChatGPT for a lasagne recipe, consider how much computing power you’re using. On a typical day, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot handles an estimated 195 million queries, consuming enough electricity to supply 23,000 US households. By 2026, booming AI adoption is expected to help drive a near-doubling of data centres’ global energy use, to more than 800 terawatt-hours – the annual carbon-emission equivalent of about 80 million petrol-powered cars.Will this vor...

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