What will datacenters look like in 2030? Concerns around sustainability and the impact of AI will mean that datacenters at the end of the decade will be very different, built to be more sustainable, but also smarter and more powerful. The energy demands of datacenters are rising, with the International Energy Authority (IEA) saying they already account for up to 2% of global energy use, and this figure could double by 2026, equalling the electricity consumption of Japan. In the UK, the National Grid has predicted that the electricity demands of datacenters could potentially rise six-fold in just ten years.
What is behind this exponential surge? New technologies such as quantum computing and generative AI are predicted to drive a huge surge in demand for electricity. A preprint Carnegie Mellon study this year found that generating just one image with AI software uses as much energy as charging a smartphone. But AI is also predicted to drive a new wave of innovation which will help deal with the challenges of climate change, from limiting methane emissions from waste to designing ‘clean’ nuclear fusion reactors. One of the key challenges of this decade is to unleash the benefits of AI while managing its environmental impact.
