Google cut its electricity bill by 40pc using artificial intelligence

Google said it now gets 3.5 times as much computing power out of the same amount of energy as it did five years ago thanks to custom-built servers, more efficient cooling systems that use outside air, and investment in green energy. The company wants to cap its increase in energy use at four per cent a year between 2014 and 2020 even as data use grows at a faster rate. It also plans to be 100 per cent powered by renewable energy. But it hasn't said when it will reach that goal, or how much of its power currently comes from renewable sources. The data centre algorithm can eventually be used to improve efficiency in other areas, according to Google, including getting more energy from the same amount of input at power plants, and reducing energy and water usage in semiconductor manufacturing.