Part II: The Rapid Expansion of Data Centers
Danny Chung
Smoke Signals & Tea Leaves | Communications | Trusted Advisor | Media Relations | Crisis Management | Brand Positioning | TEDx Speaker | Veteran Advocate | Transformational Leadership
Data centers are a critical part of our digital infrastructure. They house the servers that run the applications we use every day, and they store the vast amounts of data that we generate and consume. Unfortunately, data centers eat up a tremendous amount of energy, which is putting a strain on the power grid. The grid is already struggling to keep up with demand, and the increasing demand for generative AI is only making it worse.
But before you start pointing your finger at ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot , consider my dozen AI-assisted searches for the below image of water resulted in consuming 16 ounces of water in cooling the data center accessed.
Data centers represent the beating heart of our cloud-based computing world in which we live. And as of March 2024, the U.S. boasts a staggering 5,381 data centers, making this nation the undisputed leader in this category. Companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) , Meta , Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure have an insatiable appetite for data centers. So much so that they're outsourcing and simultaneously building these massive data centers in places like the Dalles, Oregon and Louisville, Kentucky. But, the state of Virginia truly 'takes the cake' where 70% of the world's internet searches are routed through the state's Data Center Alley, with Beijing, China in a very close second place.
Nuclear Failure and Nuclear Future
My time at Southern California Edison (SCE) exposed me to a triad of challenges facing the electric energy industry: nuclear leaks, mother nature, and poor and failing infrastructure. The San Onofre Nuclear Powerplant in Southern California, sitting on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean experienced a small leak in 2012. Despite a replacement reactor shipped directly from Japan's 三菱商事 , the plant was eventually shut down due to political and community pressure. Windstorms, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes also cause power outages, resulting in an even greater strain on the aging grid. This caused multiple brownouts and blackouts for many tens of thousands of customers for up to eight days in one instance.
Considering the U.S. electric grid's average transformer is a critical 38 years old, it's time to invest in our infrastructure - another topic for another day.
One solution is data centers with built-in nuclear reactors. China has already begun building Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which are a fraction of the size of a conventional nuclear reactor like the one in San Onofre, making it possible for parts and components to be factory built, then transported to the site. Oklo Inc , a California based energy solutions provider states that their SMRs may be "ready to roll."
Constellation Energy Group, PSEG and Vistra Corp. are eyeing this SMR-technology, ready to pounce when the technology matures a bit more.
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Environmental Reports, Rose-Colored Soft Pastels
Buried deep within Google's annual environmental report for 2024, sits a baby-blue colored chart depicting a whopping 48% increase in greenhouse gas emissions since 2019.
Microsoft's environmental report is decorated in hues reminiscent of flowers and grass, however, the numbers show a nearly 30% increase in overall emissions in FY2023.
These are not promising numbers considering the use of generative AI and energy consumption will only increase, and exponentially at that.
So, next time you search for stupid pet tricks, stream a movie, send an email, or ask Siri for the weather, remember: Behind the scenes is an army of servers working tirelessly to make it all happen.
Fervo Energy Fervo Renewable Energy Helion Google Cloud 谷歌 微软 Microsoft Azure Office of Nuclear Energy | U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Energy Institute Shaolei Ren OpenAI GPTZero Water Corporation Vantage Data Centers QTS Data Centers NVIDIA Data Center Amazon Web Services (AWS) Scaleflex Southern California Edison (SCE) Arm Dipti Vachani AI Graviton NVIDIA AI 英伟达 Oracle Cloud ChatGPT Apple Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Jeff Tench Canadian Association of Small Modular Reactors (CASMR)