AI's Energy Crisis: US Lags Behind as Demand Surges
Published on May 16, 2024 at 12:00 AM
In the age of AI, energy has become the critical bottleneck, surpassing even financial constraints. This poses a significant challenge for the US, where numerous data centers are awaiting activation but face an inadequate power supply and infrastructure. Before 2020, data centers managed to offset increased demand through efficiency improvements. However, with billions of daily queries to AI models, electricity demand in the US is now surging, and efficiency gains are failing to keep pace.
If AI is to deliver on its promises without causing electricity prices to soar for consumers, the US must adopt strategies from countries with abundant energy resources, such as China. The State of AI, a collaboration between the Financial Times and MIT Technology Review, is further exploring the global impact of AI. This article is part of The State of AI, a subscriber-only collaboration between the Financial Times & MIT Technology Review examining the ways in which AI is reshaping global power.