Google’s Schmidt Says AI Will Use 99% Of The World’s Electricity.
In a recent testimony before Congress, former Google chairman and billionaire Eric Schmidt stated that AI would require 99% of the world’s electricity. While the statement was clearly an exaggeration, it was intended to highlight that the rate-limiting step for AI growth was not software development. It is, rather, access to newly built-out grids and an electricity supply that does not currently exist.
Schmidt commented, “chips will outrun power needs.” Nvidia is producing its most advanced chips at a rate that will allow the AI leaders to run server operations. In some parts of the US, utilities are already near capacity. AI firms have begun to look for power supply, which is often found in rural areas.
Stargate’s new server farms will be located in Shackelford County, Texas, and Doña Ana County, New Mexico, as well as a site in the Midwest, which is expected to be announced soon. This will be combined with an additional potential expansion of 600 megawatts near the flagship Stargate site in Abilene, Texas, which can deliver over 5.5 gigawatts of capacity. What is clear from Stargate’s statements is that these hubs have power, for now.
AI Direction Remains Unknown
The need for electricity for AI remains unknown.. Sam Altman recently stated that for AI to advance at a pace comparable to software development, one-third of the current US electricity would need to be dedicated to this technology.
Among all the statements about AI electricity requirements, Schmidt’s is the most aggressive, but that does not mean he is directionally wrong.
More from Electricity Wars
- Data Centers In The Middle Of Nowhere
- AI And AC Drive Up Electricity prices By 25%
- Air Conditioning Is Future Of Electricity
- Electricity Gets Ugly
