Part 1 of 2 Parts
U.S. energy consumption has seen little change over the past decade. Increases in efficiency have kept demand low. However, over the next five years, demand for electricity to power data centers is expected to more than double. Some estimates show that such facilities are expected to require as much energy in 2030 as the entire country of Japan does today.
A senior advisor at the Wadhwani A.I. center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, “Every investor is lining up to invest in the next AI breakthrough. But when it comes to energy, there is a challenge in terms of permitting, the reality of construction timelines for new power plants and new grid capabilities. All of this could slow down A.I. progress just as the research and development is preparing for takeoff.”
The rise in energy demand from tech firms is accompanied by skepticism from consumers. According to a recent poll on how voters felt about A.I. in society, forty- three percent saw it as a good thing, while forty-seven percent thought it was a bad thing.
Brad Smith is the President of Microsoft. He said, “I think it’s natural that people will always have, call it a mixture of hopes and anxieties about what a new technology, including any new technology and especially AI may bring. The truth is we all rely on AI already, even if we don’t think about it.”
According to polling from 2023, positive views have increased faster than negative views. Subgroups surveyed have expressed opinions all over the board. Most rural voters, white voters, women and those over the age of forty-five thought that A.I. was a bad thing. Urban voters, non-White voters, men and those younger than forty-five thought that the technology as good. Registered Republicans were most optimistic about A.I. but no party’s approval was above fifty percent. In spite of the somewhat negative sentiment of most voters, tech companies are powering on.
Smith said, “A.I. relies on a lot of what we call compute. A lot of chips that do a lot of calculations and a lot of data that is accessed and is stored. So all of that requires more electricity. And it’s why we have to pursue new partnerships as we are with the kinds of companies that generate electricity.”
Two nuclear plants are scheduled to restart because of big tech partnerships.
Smith continued, “I think this will all become an increasing part of the nation’s electricity future. It only makes sense for a power company to invest, to bring something like Three Mile Island back online if it has a guarantee that somebody’s gonna purchase it. And so in this case, Microsoft entered into a long-term advanced purchase agreement with Constellation.”
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