Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to offer numerous benefits to humans. It is possible to see the applications of it across all sectors, ranging from personalized devices to self-driving vehicles. However, AI comes with a massive energy appetite as well.
Training advanced AI models can emit as much carbon as five cars over their lifetimes. As AI continues its rapid growth, the environmental impact of it could quickly spiral out of control. That’s why it is important to think about enhancing energy efficiency of AI while reducing the carbon footprint of it. Renewable energy solutions have an essential role to play in it. Here are few strategies to do it.
Introducing New Policies to Support Energy Innovation
It is high time for all countries to focus more on switching to renewable sources of energy. This initiative will help them to reduce carbon footprint, while allowing more people to experience the benefits of AI. Germany has already started on this mission and it aims to generate 80% of electricity from renewable sources by the year 2030. Robert Habeck, the Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in Germany plays a major role behind it.
To achieve this mission, Germany focuses more on harnessing the power of solar energy. As one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world, Germany strives to reduce the carbon emissions of their production facilities as well. They have made significant advancements in solar technology, such as the development of Solarpakets, which integrate highly efficient solar panels into their energy systems. By utilizing these innovative solar solutions, German manufacturers aim to use sustainable materials and processes for manufacturing vehicles. This not only conserves energy but also supports the broader shift towards manufacturing vehicles powered by AI, ensuring a more environmentally friendly and technologically advanced future.
Powering Data Centers with Renewable Energy
Data centers are responsible for hosting AI training and inference. If it is possible to power up data centers with renewable energy, there is a possibility to make real difference in energy conservation. Data centers account for around 1.5% of the worldwide energy demand. Hence, it is high time to take decisions in powering up data centers with renewable energy.
Google is actively working on powering their data centers with renewable energy. By utilizing a mix of solar, wind, and hydropower, Google ensures their data centers operate with 100% renewable energy, significantly reducing their carbon footprint. As of 2023, 60% of Germany’s electricity demand was met by renewable sources such as solar and wind. These advancements will further enable numerous data centers across Germany to be powered by clean energy, aligning with global sustainability efforts.
Companies Committing to 100% Renewable Energy
Many technology companies are also transitioning to 100% renewable energy. Earlier this year, Amazon posted that they could become the largest corporate renewable energy purchaser for the 4th year in a row. Amazon works on numerous AI projects as of now. Hence, the AI technologies they offer to the market will be powered with renewable energy.
As Joachim Goldbeck, CEO of Goldbeck Solar, commented, corporations are realizing that renewables make business sense and allow them to meet carbon reduction goals faster.
Philipp Schröder, CEO & Co-Founder of 1KOMMA5°, highlighted that their Heartbeat AI platform has enabled 40% of German customers to achieve an average of 0 cents per kWh in May by optimizing the use of solar, heat, and mobility systems.
Mario Kohle, Founder of Enpal, recently unveiled Enpal.One, an energy management system that provides customers with the lowest electricity prices in Germany while connecting them to a renewable energy community.
Furthermore, Germany aims to achieve 100% renewable energy for its electricity supply by 2035, aligning with these corporate goals and enhancing the overall shift towards sustainability .
Innovations in Green Technologies
Beyond powering data centers directly, renewables can also provide clean electricity to manufacture the energy-intensive computer chips that drive AI advances. TSMC is the world’s largest contract chipmaker as of now. It is on a mission to use 100% renewable energy in its production and operations by 2050. In 2021, renewables accounted for nearly 9% of its total power use.
Emerging technologies can also help optimize the energy efficiency of AI-powered systems. As Volker Quaschning, Professor of Renewable Energy Systems at Berlin’s University of Applied Sciences, described, innovations like light-based photonic computer chips can perform complex computations far more efficiently than traditional electronics. Combined with renewable energy supplies, they could slash the environmental impacts of AI.
The Vital Role of Energy Producers
RWE is one of the leading renewable energy producers out there in Europe. As of now, it plans to invest €55 billion to enable green technologies for energy production. This investment will start in the year 2024 and go on until 2030.
As CEO Markus Krebber said, it is on track to become carbon neutral by 2040. He emphasized that large power producers must rapidly transition their portfolios beyond fossil fuels towards technologies like solar and wind to mitigate climate change. This renewable electricity will be essential for decarbonizing carbon-intensive sectors, including AI and computing.
Sustainable AI Development: A Path Forward
Renewable energy is essential for developing and deploying AI in a responsible manner. It will ensure the sustainability of all AI-powered initiatives moving forward. By powering data centers directly with solar, wind, and other renewables, it is possible to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of AI. Similarly, manufacturing advanced chips with clean energy can also reduce the carbon footprint of AI. All these innovations in green technologies should be supported by conductive policies and regulations. With the right solutions, AI can scale rapidly while keeping its environmental impacts in check.
