The dark side of AI: the hidden price of progress
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the world, promising game-changing innovations in fields such as medicine, agriculture, automation and scientific research. Virtual assistants, stockbrokers, autonomous vehicles and predictive algorithms are just some of the applications that are changing the way we live and work. However, behind this promise lies an alarming environmental cost: AI’s insatiable appetite for energy.
Data centers, enormous “warehouses” that host thousands of servers and processors, are the beating heart of AI. In 2023 alone, 250 billion dollars were invested in data centers. These centers consume staggering amounts of energy, not only to perform the complex calculations necessary for machine learning and data processing, but also to cool equipment that overheats during operation (40% of the energy used is for cool them). Global data center energy consumption is estimated to be comparable to that of Argentina as a whole.
This growing demand for energy is putting a strain on electricity grids around the world. In some regions, such as the state of Virginia in the United States, coal power generation has been increased to meet growing demand from data centers, threatening efforts to decarbonize and fight climate change and achieve energy goals. Net-Zero for 2050.
