Is there a silver bullet to help data centers cope with AI’s energy demands?

There’s no denying the impact AI is already having on data centers and energy use. If left unchecked, the situation is only going to get worse. A recent IDC report reveals that with AI adoption skyrocketing, the energy needed to support AI workloads is set to soar, with data center electricity consumption expected to more than double between 2023 and 2028. AI-driven workloads alone are projected to grow at a staggering compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44.7% through 2027, with energy demands reaching a massive 146.2 TWh. The implications are stark – data centers, which already account for 46% of enterprise energy spend, could soon become unsustainable.

That, of course, cannot happen. But with AI workloads rapidly increasing, data centers have to evolve quickly and manage the prospect of a new energy crisis, with rising electricity prices driven by geopolitical instability in the Middle East. The growing influence of AI tools across industries – from healthcare to financial services – is undeniable. However, an AI-powered search uses 100 times more energy than a non-AI-powered search, while building foundational AI models can consume enough energy to power 20,000 homes for six months.

A solution?

An Atlantic Ventures report, Improving Sustainability in Data Centers 2024, suggests a solution, revealing how next-generation data center architectures, like hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), can reduce energy consumption, lower carbon emissions, and drive cost savings across the EMEA region. In just six years, the report finds that modernizing data centers with HCI could save up to 19…