AI is killing cloud sustainability

Related

Removing Technology Roadblocks For The Decade Ahead

Ian Moyse – Industry Cloud Thought Leader Having worked in...

Enterprise Security Operation Center (SOC) – things you should know

Enterprise Security Operation Center (SOC) – things you should...

Optimising Cloud Cost Management to Maximising ROI

A business’s cloud infrastructure needs will evolve with its...

How AI is Transforming Customer Communication Management

Business communication has evolved over the years. Today, it’s...

Share

AI is killing cloud sustainability

You only need to look at the differences in power consumption between GPUs and CPUs. CPUs were fine for most traditional processing, on the cloud and on-prem. However, the shift to AI has made GPUs the preferred processors. GPUs draw more power due to their design for parallel processing, which is necessary for graphics rendering and intensive computations in AI and gaming.

Top GPUs use 200 to more than 450 watts, while high-end desktop CPUs range from 65 to 150 watts. Midrange GPUs use about 100 to 250 watts, whereas mid-range CPUs usually consume around 65 watts. Replacing CPUs with GPUs will require much more power, cooling, and data centers. Enterprises are telegraphing a high demand for AI. If you do the math, you’ll quickly figure out that there is not enough power being generated on the planet to meet those future demands.

The sound of silence

Discussing the environmental impact of massive data center expansion could tarnish the allure of AI and its seemingly endless potential. Thus, many companies focus public discussions on AI’s innovative and transformative potential rather than its environmental challenges.