Tech Giants Scramble to Tackle AI’s Looming Energy Crisis

AFP/APP

New York: As artificial intelligence continues its explosive growth, the global tech industry is racing to confront an emerging crisis: skyrocketing energy consumption. To address this, companies are investing in advanced cooling systems, more efficient computer chips, and optimized programming methods.

AI systems depend heavily on data centers, which are expected to consume up to three percent of the world’s electricity by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency—double their current usage.

Consulting firm McKinsey warns that the rapid expansion of AI is pushing the world toward a potential electricity shortage, driven by an urgent race to build new data infrastructure.

“There are several ways of solving the problem,” said Mosharaf Chowdhury, a professor of computer science at the University of Michigan. “Companies can either expand energy supply—which takes time—or reduce the energy needed for the same level of computing.”

Chowdhury advocates for innovative, multi-level solutions, spanning from hardware upgrades to software optimization. His lab, for instance, has developed algorithms that precisely estimate the power needs of individual AI chips, cutting electricity use by 20 to 30 percent.

As demand for generative AI and machine learning intensifies globally, the pressure is on tech giants to innovate fast — or risk straining the world’s energy resources.