OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was among a constellation of tech industry leaders reportedly meeting with Biden administration officials at the White House on Thursday to discuss the burgeoning energy infrastructure needs of the artificial intelligence revolution. File Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE
Meeting at the White House
On September 12, key Biden Administration personnel met with leaders from major technology companies at the White House. The purpose? To discuss the new infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence. This meeting included representatives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google, who met with Cabinet members such as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The focus was on the need for more AI data centers and the enhanced energy infrastructure required to support them (CNN, CNBC, The Hill).
Why is AI Infrastructure Important?
The meeting underscored the significance of AI infrastructure for national security, the environment, and various other sectors. Attendees included U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, White House climate advisers Ali Zaidi and John Podesta, and White House chief of staff Jeff Zients.
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AI’s Growing Energy Demands
The meeting came as AI has become a major driver of technology businesses worldwide, attracting significant attention from Wall Street investors. As AI is integrated into more applications, concerns about its energy-intensive nature and the ability of U.S. utilities to supply the growing number of data centers have increased.
Goldman Sachs reported in May that the AI revolution is expected to boost data center power demand by 160% within the next six years. Currently, data centers consume 1% to 2% of global power, but this is projected to rise to 3% to 4% by the end of the decade, leading to unprecedented electricity growth.
According to the Electric Power Research Institute, a single ChatGPT query requires 2.9 watt-hours of electricity, compared to 0.3 watt-hours for a Google search. This highlights the need for data center efficiency improvements, increased flexibility, and closer coordination between data center developers and electric companies.
Goldman Sachs estimated that AI will increase data center power consumption by 200 terawatt-hours per year between 2023 and 2030, eventually accounting for about 19% of all data center power demand.
U.S. Leadership in AI
A White House spokesperson stated, “President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to deepening U.S. leadership in AI by ensuring data centers are built in the United States while ensuring the technology is developed responsibly.”
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