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Bill Gates has defended the rapid increase in energy use caused by artificial intelligence systems, arguing that the technology would eventually offset its huge electricity consumption.
Speaking in London, Gates urged environmentalists and governments “not to overdo it” on concerns about the huge amounts of energy needed to run new generation AI systems as big tech companies like Microsoft race to invest tens of billions of dollars in new big data. the centers.
Data centers will drive a 2-6 percent increase in global electricity use, the billionaire said.
“The question is, will AI accelerate a decline of more than 6 percent? And the answer is: of course,” said Gates, the Microsoft co-founder who has been a prolific investor in companies developing sustainable energy and carbon-reduction technologies.
In May, Microsoft admitted that its greenhouse gas emissions had risen by almost a third since 2020, largely due to data center construction.
Gates, who stepped down from Microsoft’s board in 2020 but remains an adviser to Chief Executive Satya Nadella, said tech companies will pay a “green premium” — or higher price — for energy. clean while looking for new sources of energy, which was helping to fuel it. development and deployment.
“Technology companies are the people who are willing to pay a price and help build green energy capacity,” he said at the Breakthrough Energy Summit in London on Thursday.
Breakthrough Energy Group — which was founded by Gates and also counts Jeff Bezos, Masayoshi Son and Jack Ma as investors — has invested in more than 100 companies developing sustainable energy and other technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Her event in London included speakers such as Prince William, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and John Podesta, the US’s top climate diplomat.
Big tech groups including Microsoft, Amazon and Google have outlined plans to spend tens of billions of dollars to build the computing infrastructure needed to run AI systems in countries around the world.
But limitations in the availability of electricity are already posing a challenge to companies looking to build the new technology.
A US Department of Energy report in April said AI was “expected to be the largest driver of growth in the workload associated with US data centers in the near future.”
While companies such as Amazon and Microsoft have signed long-term power purchase agreements with wind and solar power generators, those agreements “typically do not match hour-by-hour electricity demand with local sources,” the US agency said. This meant there was “no guarantee that all electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions are offset” by the agreements.
In May, the Electric Power Research Institute said data centers could consume up to 9 percent of US electricity generation by 2030, more than double what they currently use.
Despite arguing that tech companies were driving a green energy boom, he said one of his biggest concerns was “getting enough electricity” needed to meet growing demand while also cleaning up large sectors. , such as cement and steel.
“The amount of green electricity we need for the transition will not appear as quickly as we need it,” he said.
Because of this, the global goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is likely to be missed, arguing that “another 10 or 15 years may be more realistic.“.
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