Technology
Georgia Power warns that the use of artificial intelligence is leading to higher demand for electricity
As more data centers appear in the state and across the country, energy demand could triple by the next decade.
Georgia Power is preparing customers for higher electricity demand as the use of artificial intelligence increases.
According to the company, this potential consequence has been determined after the rollas a report. The report details the increased number of data centers getting used for intelligence software. As more data centers appear in the state and across the country, energy demand could triple over the next decade.
“If you put thousands of machines, say 10,000 computers, it gets hot,” Emory professor Rajiv Garg explained to the news site. “They need cooling power. They need computing power.”
This processing power stays crucial for the more advanced searches typically utilized in AI, which depend on data centers to develop answers. As AI searches develop into more common, especially through platforms like Chat GPT, the need for centers is growing. In July, the World Economic Forum asked the platform an issue How many the energy it consumes.
“AI systems vary greatly in energy consumption depending on their complexity and use, but generally require significant amounts of electricity to efficiently process and analyze data,” Generative AI explained.
In other words, a GPT chat search uses the same energy that is typically needed for 10 Google searches. Platform he also boasts 200 million weekly users, with the most in the United States – 14% on . With this in mind, there are concerns about AI’s performance despite its advantages.
Garg added: “AI will be phenomenal, but we also need to learn how to use AI effectively.”
However, it is not entirely clear what effect this increased electricity consumption may have on residents’ wallets. Fortunately, Garg believes prices should level out over time, although they are going to initially increase to sustain with demand. While the professor emphasizes that Georgia Power’s energy bills will drop to a “balance point,” it’s unclear when exactly that will occur.