Artificial intelligence was practically invisible a few years ago, but it has suddenly emerged to power almost everything that’s digital. From intelligent answer engines like Perplexity AI to navigation aids like Google Maps and the increasingly sophisticated social media algorithms on platforms like Facebook, AI is virtually everywhere. 

Image generators, text generators, autonomous agents, product recommendation engines and ad platforms – you name it, these days, it’s probably powered by AI. 

Everybody knows this of course, but not so many people understand the enormous electrical power that’s required to drive these emergent AI algorithms. And that needs to change. The vast computational energy needed to train and run AI comes from enormous data centers that soak up incredible amounts of electricity, and much of it is generated by traditional, carbon-intensive resources such as coal and oil. According to a study by the PennState Institute of Energy and the Environment, AI data centers are expected to use up to 8% of the USA’s entire energy production by the end of this decade. If left unchecked, it could have devastating consequences for the environment. 

That explains why measures are being taken to transition the AI industry to clean energy sources. AI needs renewable energy for multiple reasons. First there’s the environmental impact. The energy requirements of AI models are only going to intensify, and that could potentially accelerate climate change. Beyond these concerns, the volatility of fossil fuel prices creates significant risk for AI companies and their consumers, and could one day result in soaring costs for AI services, limiting accessibility and eating away at the industry’s profits, threatening innovation. 

By transitioning to renewable energy sources, AI companies can minimize the environmental impact of their operations and enjoy more stable infrastructure costs, creating a more sustainable and accessible industry that benefits everyone.  

Projects Proving Cleaner AI Is Viable

It’s all very well saying that AI needs to become more sustainable, but is such a transition viable? Given the enormous energy demands of AI, the costs of switching to renewable energy may seem insurmountable, and certainly, traditional energy suppliers are unlikely to want to bear the burden of the

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Author: CryptoDaily