Interesting statistics on this (mind you, this is all from quick Google searches because I was curious). Data centers use about 90 billion kWh of power a year globally (which seems to include servers, cooling, and all the misc energy usage) while AC use is about 250 billion kWh per year globally.
Of that 90 billion kWh a year, I have no clue how much of it is used on AI (and how much AI is going to increase that number in the future) but it seems like, today at least, AC usage puts a lot more stress on the power grid than data centers do.
You also have to account for how that power is used. Data centers will use a pretty consistent amount all year long where AC usage spikes when needed hitting the grid with huge loads all at once.
I think (mostly based on articles like this one that I’ve been finding) that we aren’t seeing really how much energy they’re using and how quickly they’re growing in consumption.
Interesting statistics on this (mind you, this is all from quick Google searches because I was curious). Data centers use about 90 billion kWh of power a year globally (which seems to include servers, cooling, and all the misc energy usage) while AC use is about 250 billion kWh per year globally.
Of that 90 billion kWh a year, I have no clue how much of it is used on AI (and how much AI is going to increase that number in the future) but it seems like, today at least, AC usage puts a lot more stress on the power grid than data centers do.
You also have to account for how that power is used. Data centers will use a pretty consistent amount all year long where AC usage spikes when needed hitting the grid with huge loads all at once.
I think (mostly based on articles like this one that I’ve been finding) that we aren’t seeing really how much energy they’re using and how quickly they’re growing in consumption.