Every day, ChatGPT uses 17,000 times more electricity than the usual US household
Concerns over artificial intelligence's (AI) potential effects on the environment are growing as AI grows in power consumption. According to a report, just OpenAI's well-known generative AI, ChatGPT, is thought to need more than half a million kilowatt-hours every day in order to process and process the requests of around 200 million users.
The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) is consuming a lot of electricity, which is concerning for the environment. According to The New Yorker, just ChatGPT, the well-known generative AI from OpenAI, is thought to use more than half a million kilowatt-hours every day to process requests from 200 million users. This is more than 17,000 times more than the typical daily energy use of a US family.
The energy consumption may increase even higher if generative AI is applied more widely. Data scientist Alex de Vries calculated that Google might use around 29 billion kilowatt-hours a year—more electricity than whole nations like Kenya, Guatemala, and Croatia—if it included generative AI into every search.
According to De Vries, an AI server may already use as much energy as more than a dozen UK homes put together, highlighting the energy-intensive nature of AI. However, because Big Tech corporations fueling the AI boom are opaque and because model operations vary widely, it is difficult to estimate the total electricity usage of the AI industry.
According to De Vries’ report, the AI industry as a whole may need between 85 and 134 terawatt-hours per year by 2027. This estimate is based on data from Nvidia, a major chipmaker in the field. This might account for up to half of the world’s electricity usage by 2027, making it a substantial fraction of the total.
In contrast, some of the most energy-intensive companies in the world don’t use as much AI as is anticipated. For example, Samsung uses almost 23 terawatt-hours to power its data centres, networks, and user devices, but Google and Microsoft, two of the biggest IT companies, require about 12 and 10 terawatt-hours, respectively.
In order to reduce its negative effects on the environment, AI must manage its energy consumption as it spreads over more and more industries. The development of AI hardware and algorithms that consume less energy is essential to striking a balance between the demands of sustainability and technical progress.
