Recently, the debate over the power consumption of artificial intelligence (AI) has been quite lively, with many expressing concerns about the electricity demand of the underlying facilities. However, Microsoft founder Bill Gates holds a different view, arguing that AI's power consumption cannot be compared to that of electric vehicles.
Gates pointed out that although some predict the energy consumption of AI data centers may increase, even in extreme cases, the increase would not exceed 10%. He stated that the positive role of AI in scientific discovery and production processes far outweighs its demand for electricity. For example, AI can help us improve steel production, optimize meat processing, and accurately predict the weather, all of which are undoubtedly significant benefits.
Gates also emphasized the significant potential of nuclear energy in addressing the climate crisis. He believes that by continuously improving designs and technologies, we can effectively tackle challenges such as safety, fuel consumption, and waste disposal. Although nuclear energy has not yet become an affordable mainstream energy source, both nuclear fission and fusion technologies have the potential to provide cheap electricity in the future.
He specifically mentioned that TerraPower is working on developing safer and cheaper nuclear fission technology. Although this technology is still in the exploratory stage, as the construction of the plant progresses, its enormous potential will become visible.