Artificial intelligence has transformative potential, but it's going to require an unbelievable amount of power for that potential to be realized. This burgeoning technology's energy requirements are already comparable to that of a small country, and they're only expected to continue growing.
A recent announcement by tech behemoth Meta revealed how the company plans to generate the energy it needs to remain competitive in the AI race: a giant solar farm. Meta plans to purchase 200 megawatts of renewable energy from multinational electric utility company ENGIE for a facility that will begin operating by year's end.
According to the company's website, Meta's global operations achieved net-zero emissions in 2020. The next phase in their plan is to reach net-zero for their entire value chain by 2030.
While it's always wise to remain skeptical of any company's sustainability claims, this solar deal seems to corroborate Meta's claims. It's also only a single item on a rather impressive renewable energy resume.
"Since 2020, we have maintained net-zero emissions in our global operations," Urvi Parekh, Meta's Global Head of Energy, said. "These efforts are supported by relationships such as those with ENGIE with a strong track record of delivering and operating projects that support our operations, help meet our energy needs and implement our net-zero goals."
If Meta or any other company expects to remain competitive in the AI race, then investing in projects like this one will be essential. According to the World Economic Forum, the technology is estimated to require "around 33 times more energy to complete a task than task-specific software would." And as the tech grows, so does its appetite for energy; power needs to sustain AI growth are estimated to double around once every 100 days.
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This technology has the potential to do everything from improving sustainable practices to accurately predicting weather and so much more.
However, if those looking to utilize it are not doing so sustainably, then they'll be defeating the purpose of honing this potentially planet-saving tool. Meta's plans offer some hope that at least one major tech company understands that.
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