The data centers that power today’s artificial intelligence tools are putting enormous demands on our energy and water resources. In fact, if this demand continues on its current trajectory, AI’s energy consumption will exceed what our electric grids can support in the long run.
That’s why Google has announced that it will begin implementing “flexible demand capabilities” in its data centers to “shift or reduce power demand during certain hours or times of the year.” This practice is known as demand response. The company has also paused or rescheduled non-urgent computing tasks so they don’t compete with demand surges from events like heat waves when more people need energy to stay cool.
Google has already demonstrated the effectiveness of demand response through a partnership with Omaha Public Power District last year in which the power use from AI technologies was reduced during three “grid events” when demand was high. The company recently partnered with both Indiana Michigan Power and Tennessee Valley Authority, to establish new utility agreements to put demand response capabilities into practice on a larger scale.
