The telecommunications industry is facing a hidden challenge as it strives to embrace the era of generative artificial intelligence. Behind the scenes, the data centers powering AI, virtual RAN, and edge compute are grappling with a concerning issue – a shortage of electricity. This revelation, as reported by the Washington Post, sheds light on the growing demand for power in the face of the exponentially increasing data flow, which spans terabytes and will soon reach the scale of petabytes.
According to the publication, there is a significant increase in power demand in several states, such as Virginia, Texas, Georgia, and Arizona. Unfortunately, the plans to increase supplies may not be sufficient to meet this growing demand. The Long Term Reliability Assessment by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. reveals that the demand is projected to more than double from 221.5k gigawatt hours to 563.9k gigawatt hours between 2022 and 2023.
Tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are not only constructing more data centers for AI, but these new facilities also demand significantly more power compared to traditional data centers, as reported by the Washington Post. Additionally, the growth of data centers is further fueled by the rise of crypto-mining for bitcoins.
The Biden administration is successfully attracting a growing number of companies to establish factories in the United States. Currently, over 155 factories have been planned or expanded by these companies. This surge in industrial development will also lead to an increase in the demand for gigawatts.
This power crunch could lead to an increase in electric rates as new power facilities become operational. It may also result in a delay in the retirement of coal plants. Furthermore, there might be a slowdown in the transition towards using the power grid to fuel vehicles, heat pumps, induction stoves, and other household appliances. States may also reconsider their incentives to attract data center companies.
According to the Washington Post, data center developers are finding innovative ways to generate power while states are still figuring out the best approach. Michael Halaburda and Arman Khalili, for instance, are using off-the-grid, high-tech fuel cells to convert natural gas into low-emissions electricity at their site in Portland, OR.
In Texas, two data center developers are embracing geothermal energy as a sustainable power source for their upcoming data center. According to the Washington Post, both Microsoft and Google are exploring the possibility of harnessing energy from small nuclear plants located on-site. Furthermore, Microsoft has made an investment in a groundbreaking venture that aims to develop zero-emissions fusion power, marking a significant milestone in the pursuit of clean and efficient energy solutions.
