The AI wild card for data centers: ‘Oh sh*t, this is for real’

10/25/23 • 10 min

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Top tech companies are on a quest to run their massive data centers around the clock with clean power.

It’s not an easy task, but they’ve been making progress. The energy efficiency of large data centers has radically improved over the last two decades. And tech players have been buying renewables at breakneck speed.

But a new source of computational demand is complicating those efforts: artificial intelligence.

Today: Editor Lisa Martine Jenkins presents a story from writer Erin Wong called, “The AI ‘wild card’ promises to complicate clean clouds.”

For more of Latitude Media’s coverage of the frontiers of clean energy, sign up for our newsletter.

A big thanks to our launch sponsor, Scale Microgrids. Scale Microgrids is the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Check out scalemicrogrids.com/careers to learn more about the open roles.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top tech companies are on a quest to run their massive data centers around the clock with clean power.

But a new source of computational demand is complicating those efforts: artificial intelligence.

Today: Editor Lisa Martine Jenkins presents a story from writer Erin Wong called, “The AI ‘wild card’ promises to complicate clean clouds.”

For more of Latitude Media’s coverage of the frontiers of clean energy, sign up for our newsletter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

How AI is changing weather forecasts for solar and wind

Electric grids are increasingly being saturated with weather-dependent renewables. At the same time, power systems are also getting challenged by intensifying and unpredictable extreme weather.

So can weather prediction models rise to the challenge? The answer may be in machine learning.

Today: how artificial intelligence could make weather modeling much more powerful – and limit the use of fossil fuels as a backup to renewables.

Latitude Media Editor Lisa Martine Jenkins brings us a story titled, “Could AI-fueled weather forecasts boost renewable energy production?” from contributor Emma Woollacott.

Read all of Latitude Media's news here.

A big thanks to our launch sponsor, Scale Microgrids. Scale Microgrids is the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Check out scalemicrogrids.com/careers to learn more about the open roles.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

Green hydrogen makers are caught in limbo

Green hydrogen is a critical resource for cleaning up industry and heavy trucking.

With tens of billions of government and corporate dollars plowing into the space – electrolyzer companies are preparing for a ramp up in sales and project developments to help turn renewable electrons into hydrogen molecules.

But they’re also hitting a snag: without much demand for more expensive green hydrogen, electrolyzer makers are caught in a holding pattern. So when will the market break open?

Today: Editor Lisa Martine Jenkins presents a story from writer Tammy Xu called, “The electrolyzer market is caught in limbo.”

For more of Latitude Media’s coverage of the frontiers of clean energy, sign up for our newsletter.

A big thanks to our launch sponsor, Scale Microgrids. Scale Microgrids is the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Check out scalemicrogrids.com/careers to learn more about the open roles.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices