𝗡𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀: 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗜, 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝘂𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲
- Dec 27, 2024
- 2 min read
The title may not win Christmas cheer awards, but let’s channel a bit of Scrooge to debunk a growing myth: nuclear as the savior for AI’s energy appetite.
In my year-end post, I dubbed small modular reactors the “fad of the year,” but I missed the deeper story—the energy implications of the AI revolution. Then I came across Michael Liebreich’s article on AI-driven energy demand and its ripple effects. It’s a must-read, packed with sharp insights and Liebreich’s signature wit. Here are the highlights (but trust me, the full article is worth your time):
💸 𝗧𝗵𝗲 $𝟲𝟬𝟬𝗕 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
That’s the revenue AI needs to justify the billions poured into it. So far, only a fraction of this number has a clear roadmap.
⚡ 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿-𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
A single ChatGPT prompt consumes 2.9 watt-hours. Compare that to 0.3 watt-hours for a Google search. Scale this across billions of users, and you’re looking at serious energy consumption.
↔️ 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 - 𝗔 𝗧𝘄𝗼-𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁
Deploying AI not only increases energy consumption but also helps to reduce it by optimizing power generation, transmission and consumption. Mr. Liebreich estimates 30 GW of new dispatchable capacity will be needed in the US by 2030, with 15 GW more globally.
☢️ 𝗡𝘂𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿
Despite the buzz around SMRs, nuclear won’t power the AI boom. It’s too slow to deploy and too expensive.
☀️ 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲
Solar, wind, batteries, and some backup gas plants will shoulder the load—delivering the power AI needs at a fraction of the cost and time nuclear requires.
For your last weekend read of 2024, dive into Michael Liebreich’s article—equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining. And as always, I’m curious to hear your thoughts: Is AI a boon or bane for energy systems? Drop your take in the comments below, and follow me for more green tech scale-up insights!