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How much energy do data centers and artificial intelligence use? /// Less than 2% of global electricity, but demand is very geographically concentrated. (ourworldindata.org)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 28 points 3 months ago (5 children)

Less than 2% is somewhat a shitty framing.

I would say: "More than 1%!"

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  • [–] 30 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    Yeah that's an insane amount. Nearly 1 in every 50 joules generated is currently going to generative AI. That's incredible for a single purpose.

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  • [–] 12 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    Not entirely true. Those are the numbers for all data centers, regardless if AI was used. This includes email, streaming services, and nearly everything you do on the internet. As per the linked article, the estimate for specifically AI use is closer to 0.5% or 1 of every 200 joules

    I estimate that AI consumed around 0.5% of the world’s electricity in 2025.

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  • [–] 14 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    So a QUARTER of ALL power used by ALL data centres is for fucking AI! That's still crazy.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    Especially when it's the majority of all data center buildout (if these companies had their way, the amount would be higher), the GPUs inside them presently can't be repurposed if demand doesn't catch up (or if they just depreciate), and nobody knows how to make these profitable

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