________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We are all aware of the newest revolution in computing known as artificial intelligence or AI. We have heard stories of the virtually unlimited potential this computing revolution may bring to mankind, a sapient machine capable of human reasoning only quicker and with better memory that has a database that is always expanding. However, this burgeoning AI revolution with its seeming unlimited potential is completely dependent on having the power to supply the massive data centers housing the vast array of computer processing chips, hardware, software and storage capability which is what really constitutes AI. So, the AI story is really a story about massive computer data capability and the data centers necessary to generate that data processing capability. Those massive data centers are the computing engines that comprise AI. And like all engines, the data center computing engines run on power. Specifically, electric power.
So, some fundamental questions for AI are what are the projected power needs for AI and what sources of energy will fuel the AI revolution? Where will this power come from? How will the US compete with other countries, principally China, India, and Europe if we can’ t power the massive and complex data centers that are required to provide AI? The answer to the last question is simply that we must find and / or generate and / or produce whatever power is required. Failure is not an option.
In order for non-engineers to understand the magnitude of the anticipated power requirements for AI, it is important to understand, in easily comprehensible terms, what electric power is and how much power is required to begin to appreciate the challenges and potential solutions to this critical problem.
So, let’ s start with some basic electric power related terminology. Electric power is described by terms such as watts, kilowatts,
megawatts, gigawatts and terawatts. As most engineers know, a watt is the basic unit of electric power output or transmission. What is a watt of power? Without getting too technical, think of a 100-watt electric lightbulb. A 100-watt electric lightbulb uses 100 watts of power per second to stay on at full power. That means 100 watts of electric energy is being transmitted to and used by that lightbulb every second. Now that we understand what a watt is( a measure of electric energy consumption or transmission per second) we can get a basic understanding of the energy demand required to power the AI revolution by a few simple examples.
Example 1, a solar panel. A typical single solar panel that is found on the roof of a house, when it is operating at maximum efficiency in direct sunlight, generates about
20