AI Is Already Wreaking Havoc On Global Power Systems

The rise of artificial intelligence is now turbocharging demand for bigger data centers, transforming the landscape and taxing the world's energy grids.

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Globally, there are more than 7,000 data centers built or in various stages of development, up from 3,600 in 2015, according to data from DC Byte, a market intelligence firm. By 2034, global energy consumption by data centers is expected to top 1,580 TWh, about as much as is used by all of India.

While tech companies are quick to point out that data centers account for less than 2% of global energy use even with all the expansion, an April report from Goldman Sachs estimates that figure could rise to 4% by the end of the decade. Any percentage point increase is monumental.

The biggest cloud services providers, Amazon, Microsoft and Google, have announced goals to run their data centers entirely on green energy. But some tech leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have said an energy breakthrough — likely from nuclear power — is needed to adapt to this new picture. For now, the path forward remains unclear.

Read more about how the rise of AI is impacting power grids and challenging clean energy goals here.

In the new season of Foundering, Bloomberg Technology's narrative podcast, we dive deep into the story of Sam Altman and OpenAI to give listeners the material and analysis they need to come to their own conclusions about the CEO's trustworthiness.

Bloomberg.com subscribers can listen to the entire series right now by connecting their subscription to Apple Podcasts for early access or by clicking here. For all listeners, new episodes drop Thursdays on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Record Labels Sue Two Startups for Training AI Models on Their Songs

The world's biggest record labels are suing two AI startups, taking an aggressive stance to protect their intellectual property against technology that makes it easy for people to generate music based on existing songs.

Share Your Experiences: As the first full school year since the advent of ChatGPT has ended, Bloomberg reporters are eager to hear from students and teachers about the impact generative AI is having in classrooms. Tell us your story here.

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AI Stories Not to Miss

• Apple won't roll out its new AI tech in the EU market, citing regulatory concerns.
• OpenAI's co-founder has a new plan for safe superintelligence.
• Anthropic is releasing a new AI model that it calls its fastest and most capable yet.
• Meta is in talks with Apple about integrating the company's generative AI model into the iPhone maker's AI system, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• Some tech companies are looking into one of the biggest challenges for AI: making chatbots funnier.

Want to read more? Find daily AI news coverage here.

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