Right now, AI is gobbling up more electricity than ever. A fresh report dropped at the 2025 Global Energy Interconnection Conference in Beijing says that power demand from AI will rocket 🚀 in the next few years before cooling off thanks to smarter tech and efficiency boosts. From powering video calls on Zoom to AI filters on Instagram Reels, every click counts.
Here are the deets:
- Data center surge: In 2024, global data centers used about 415 billion kWh — that's 1.5% of the world's power and four times more than in 2005.
- AI server growth: Since 2010, AI-ready servers have scaled up four times faster than regular servers. Between 2020–24, their electricity use jumped 2.4×, growing ~36% a year.
- Efficiency wins: Advanced energy-management systems for cooling can slash about 15% of a data center's power draw. That's like turning off 1 in 7 lights without losing a chill.
The report points out three drivers behind AI's power appetite: software algorithms, hardware muscle, and data center efficiency. As AI gets woven into everyday apps — think smart assistants, cloud gaming, and personalized feeds — its slice of the power pie will keep growing.
But there's a flip side: breakthroughs in computing tech and energy smarts will slow the climb. The growth curve is expected to follow a logarithmic pattern — a super-fast start, then a smooth leveling off. 🌐💡
Bottom line? AI will become a key growth engine for power use in some regions and push grid upgrades, but it won't break the world's energy bank. 🔋😉
Stay tuned to see how we balance our AI dreams with a greener grid!
Reference(s):
Report shows global AI power demand to rise rapidly, then stabilize
cgtn.com
