In an interview, Google DeepMind’s and Google Research’s chief scientist Jeff Dean says AI is not to blame for the brunt of data center emissions increase (Sharon Goldman/Fortune)
A recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) highlighted the alarming growth in energy consumption and carbon emissions from data centers around the world. The report found that the data center sector’s energy consumption is expected to increase by 14% annually, leading to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions. However, Google DeepMind’s and Google Research’s chief scientist, Jeff Dean, has come forward to clarify that AI is not the main contributor to this issue.
In an interview, Dean emphasized that while AI has certainly driven the growth in data centers, it’s not the sole cause of the increasing emissions. He pointed out that the data center’s energy consumption is mainly driven by the increasing demand for cloud computing and online services.
Dean explained that the majority of the energy consumption in data centers comes from powering the servers, which are used to support popular services such as Google Search, Google Maps, and YouTube. He noted that the increasing demand for these services has led to a significant increase in the number of servers needed to support them, which in turn has driven up energy consumption.
“We’re seeing a huge increase in the number of users, and that means we need to support more servers and more data centers,” Dean said. “But it’s not an AI-specific problem. It’s an issue of scale and the need to support the growth of our services.”
Dean also highlighted that Google has made significant strides in reducing its energy consumption and carbon emissions. The company has been working to increase its use of renewable energy, with a goal of powering 100% of its operations with renewable energy. In fact, Google has already achieved 56% of its electricity usage from renewable sources, and has made significant investments in wind and solar power.
In addition, Dean pointed out that Google has implemented various energy-efficient technologies and strategies in its data centers, such as using liquid cooling systems, raising the temperature of the data centers, and using more efficient servers.
Despite the challenges posed by the increasing demand for data centers, Dean is optimistic about the future of AI and the environment. He believes that AI can be a powerful tool in reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, and that it can help us find more efficient and sustainable solutions to the challenges we face.
“I think AI has the potential to be a huge help in addressing the climate crisis,” Dean said. “We’re already seeing AI being used to optimize energy consumption in data centers, and we’re exploring new ways to use AI to improve energy efficiency. So, I’m optimistic about the future of AI and its potential to help us address this issues.”
In conclusion, while AI may play a role in the increasing demand for data centers, it’s not the primary cause of the issue. The main driver of energy consumption and carbon emissions is the growing demand for cloud computing and online services. However, Dean’s comments highlight the importance of AI in finding more efficient and sustainable solutions to these challenges, and we can look forward to seeing innovative solutions emerge from the partnership between AI and the environment.