AI could be the cause of an electricity crisis, as ChatGPT uses as much energy as 17,000 homes every hour

There is an electricity crisis in many countries of the world and this crisis increases significantly during the summer season. Even in India, we often have to face problems regarding electricity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used every day in many countries of the world. Many of you may also be using AI tools like ChatGPT, but you will be surprised to know that these AI tools can someday become the cause of power crises all over the world.

According to a report, OpenAI's popular AI chat tool ChatGPT alone is consuming 5,000 kilowatts of electricity every hour. This consumption is happening only on the daily requests of 200 million users and if the number of requests increases then the consumption can also increase. If averaged out, ChatGPT is consuming 17,000 times more electricity per day than the average American home.

Energy consumption might rise further if generative AI is used more frequently. Data scientist Alex de Vries estimates that if Google integrated generative AI into every search, it could use up to 29 billion kilowatt-hours per year—more than the combined annual electricity consumption of Kenya, Guatemala, and Croatia.

De Vries highlighted the energy usage of AI, noting that while large tech companies have made this information public, each AI server is currently using as much energy as over a dozen UK homes. Because of the lack of transparency, estimating the total power consumption of the AI world is difficult.

Vries estimates, based on data from AI chip maker Nvidia, that the entire AI sector could use between 85 and 134 terawatt-hours annually by 2027. This will represent a significant share of global electricity consumption, potentially reaching half a per cent by 2027.