The rise of artificial intelligence is driving uncontrolled electricity consumption in data centers, revealing a corporate contradiction. While big tech companies promote AI as progress, they externalize the costs of its expansion to citizens, who end up paying higher rates or suffering power outages. Private profit should not become a collective burden.
How to prevent the collapse of the electrical grid ⚡
The technical solution involves forcing these companies to finance the expansion of the electrical grid and to install energy storage systems, such as large-scale batteries, to manage their demand peaks. This would prevent data centers from saturating public infrastructure during peak hours. Without these measures, the consumption of a single facility can equal that of a medium-sized city, diverting resources from homes and hospitals.
The cloud that leaves us in the dark 🌑
It's curious that to chat with a machine about cooking recipes, we need entire power plants. While tech companies promise a bright future, the rest of the neighborhood is left without power to watch TV. In the end, AI not only thinks for us, but also decides who stays in the dark. Of course, they have backup generators; we have candles and patience.