According to the Gartner report, the AI and Gen AI trends are accelerating the surge in electricity consumption rapidly. It is expected that the energy usage for AI training centers will reach 500 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2027 from the current 261 TWh.
With the forecasted energy consumption numbers, Gartner predicts that in the future, the growth of Gen AI and AI will outstrip the available energy for usage. It is also anticipated that 40% of current data centers will encounter this shortfall.
Furthermore, Gartner emphasizes that the increasing energy demand will lead to a rise in electricity prices, impacting the costs of AI development and the environment. This could potentially result in some coal-fired power plants that were slated for decommissioning having to remain operational due to insufficient clean energy sources to power them.
Source: Gartner
TLDR: Gartner report reveals that AI and Gen AI trends are propelling electricity consumption, with energy demands expected to exceed available resources, impacting data centers and leading to potential environmental consequences.
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