The Digital Press

The rapid growth of AI services like ChatGPT is driving enormous energy consumption, with billions of daily queries requiring massive data center infrastructure and power. This trend highlights the escalating demands on energy resources and the challenges of scaling AI sustainably.

Why it matters: ChatGPT alone uses energy comparable to powering 29,000 U.S. homes yearly, signaling significant environmental impact.

The big picture: AI's energy use could jump from 15 TWh in 2025 to 347 TWh by 2030, requiring dozens of new gigawatt-scale data centers.

The stakes: Rapid AI growth risks straining power grids and raising electricity costs, especially where energy infrastructure and regulation lag.

Commenters say: Readers emphasize that current AI energy use, while large, is still small compared to total global consumption but warn of regional grid impacts and the need for clean power expansion.