Huge growth in AI usage could cause electricity blackouts in US

Electricity regulator worries about massive growth in electricity AI Usage in the U.S. and Canada could lead to blackouts as early as next year. The forecast was released shortly after iOS 18.2 public release brought more Apple information Function online.

Artificial intelligence services such as Chat GPT and Apple’s own private cloud computing Data center power usage for servers will double in just four years, and the grid may struggle to keep up with the demand…

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a nonprofit regulator for the power generation industry, expressed that concern. financial times.

Industry regulator warns North America’s power grid faces “serious reliability challenges” as power generation fails to keep up with growing demand for artificial intelligence […]

Power shortages could lead to blackouts during peak demand in both countries as soon as next year.

NERC said in the report that electricity demand is growing at an unprecedented rate. Long term reliability assessment The report points out that data centers supporting artificial intelligence services is a key reason.

The report is consistent with the International Energy Agency’s forecast that data center generation alone will exceed 1,000 terawatt hours by 2026, double 2022 levels.

This challenge is exacerbated as declining fossil fuel generation fails to keep pace with additional renewable energy generation.

The U.S. Midwest is likely to be affected first, but nearly all regions of the U.S. and Canada could experience severe power outages over the next decade, NERC said.

photography: Matthew Henry exist Not splashed