Faced with increasing pressure on the national power system due to the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI), Google has just announced the first deals to reduce power consumption in AI data centers at a time when demand for electricity is increasing.
This is a new and necessary step, to balance technology development and ensuring energy safety for the community, according to indianexpress.
According to a recent announcement, Google has signed a deal with Indiana Michigan Power and Tennessee Valley Authority, two electricity companies in the United States.
The deal would allow grid operators to require Google to temporarily reduce the burden of machine learning, which is the most energy-consuming component of the AI system, during peak periods.
AI data centers are one of the major drivers of energy pressure in the US today. The demand for electricity in this sector is far exceeding the total capacity provided in some areas, causing many experts to worry about the risk of increasing electricity prices for households, local power shortages and hindering plans to expand AI.
Although commercial details between Google and the power companies have not been clearly announced, this move is considered a new turning point in the effort to balance AI development and energy safety.
While the deals only affect a small part of overall electricity demand, analysts believe such cooperation models will soon become more popular as energy supply is tightened.
This is especially important in the context that many technology corporations are rushing to build more data centers to serve the global AI race.
