AI and the energy problem

The explosion of artificial intelligence (AI), with its remarkable technological contributions and advancements, is changing the world; however, scientists are expressing concern that this industry consumes enormous amounts of electricity, potentially becoming one of the main causes of global energy resource depletion.

Robot artist Ai-Da paints at the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 30, 2024. (Photo: THX/VNA)

A newly released report reveals that the commitment to carbon neutrality by the world's leading technology corporations is increasingly being questioned, as the wave of AI development fuels rapidly increasing and uncontrolled energy demand. Chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, Microsoft's Copilot, or Facebook's Llama are software applications, but to operate them, a global network of supercomputers is constantly working. Every time a user asks a question, millions of calculations are performed in data centers, consuming enormous amounts of electricity.

A study by MIT Technology Review shows that training a large AI model can consume more energy than the average consumption of a small city in a year. For example, training GPT-4, OpenAI's AI model, consumes the same amount of electricity as 175,000 American households use in a day. Apple, Google, and Meta aim for net-zero emissions by 2030, while Amazon sets a target of 2040, and Microsoft claims to achieve zero emissions by the end of the decade. However, according to analysts, these claims were made before the AI ​​craze exploded and are now becoming increasingly unrealistic.

Thomas Day, one of the authors of the report by Carbon Market Watch and the NewClimate Institute, argues that the climate goals of technology companies are losing their meaning. If energy consumption continues to escalate without adequate control or monitoring, the chances of achieving the stated targets are very low.

The report rated the integrity of climate strategies for major corporations like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon as poor, while Apple and Google received average ratings. Regarding the quality of their emission reduction targets, Meta and Amazon were rated very poorly, while Google and Microsoft received poor ratings. Only Apple received a higher rating. The main reason for the sharp increase in emissions is the expansion of AI operations and accompanying data center systems, which consume enormous amounts of electricity. Over the past 3-4 years, the electricity consumption and corresponding carbon emissions of some companies have doubled or even tripled.

According to the report, the operating emissions of the world's 200 largest technology companies reached nearly 300 million tons of CO2 in 2023. If the downstream value chain is included, this figure could be almost five times higher. If the technology industry were a country, it would rank fifth globally in greenhouse gas emissions, higher than Brazil.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that the amount of electricity supplied to data centers has increased by an average of 12% annually from 2017 to 2024, and is expected to double by 2030. However, the majority of this electricity still does not come from renewable sources, despite ambitious claims from businesses.

One notable point is that about half of the processing capacity of data centers is currently operated by subcontractors, but many companies do not include emissions from partners in their official calculations. The supply chain for equipment and infrastructure, which contributes at least a third of emissions, is also often overlooked. According to expert Thomas Day, while investments in renewable energy are increasing, they are still insufficient to offset the industry's rapidly growing electricity consumption.

The report indicates that, given AI's status as a driver of economic growth and a strategic tool in industrial policy, governments are unlikely to intervene to curb the industry's development. However, experts believe there is still room for improvement. Ensuring data centers utilize renewable energy, extending equipment lifespan, and increasing the proportion of recycled materials in hardware manufacturing could contribute to reducing emissions.