AI could prove energy hog that uses more electricity per year than some small countries: study

A new study warned that artificial intelligence technology could cause a significant surge in electricity consumption. The paper, published in the journal Joule, details the potential future energy output of AI systems, noting that generative AI technology relies on powerful servers and that increased use could drive a spike in demand for energy. The authors point to tech giant Google in one such example, noting that AI only accounted for 10-15% of the company's total electricity consumption in 2021. But as AI technology continues to expand, Google's energy consumption could start to be on the scale of a small country. "The worst-case scenario suggests Google's AI alone could consume as much electricity as a country such as Ireland (29.3 TWh per year), which is a significant increase compared to its historical AI-related energy consumption," the authors wrote.