Reported 9 months ago
Billionaire and climate tech investor Bill Gates stated in an interview with Bloomberg TV that despite the significant electricity demands of artificial intelligence (AI), which may exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions, the technology's ability to facilitate energy transition will ultimately 'pay back its cost,' making its overall impact more beneficial than harmful. Gates mentioned that AI can improve data centers' efficiency, reducing their share in future power needs. He also discussed the potential of AI to consume 6% of global electricity, higher than the current estimate of 2%, but deemed estimates exceeding 10% as inaccurate. Gates emphasized that the energy demand increase from electric cars, heat pumps, and green steel production far outweighs that of data centers. Additionally, Gates discussed carbon capture technologies as a limited but cost-effective solution for achieving net-zero emissions globally, revealing his personal carbon offsetting efforts. He also mentioned TerraPower, his energy company's plan to build a new sodium-cooled nuclear power plant in Wyoming, aiming to generate competitively priced electricity and surpass the complexities of third-generation nuclear reactors. Gates is participating in a three-day summit hosted by his climate investment firm Breakthrough Energy in London, where they are investing in startups and projects focusing on reducing carbon emissions. He highlighted the potential of some startups, such as TS Conductor, which produces power cables with higher capacity and lighter weight than traditional ones, enabling power companies to supply congested grids without building new transmission lines.
Source: YAHOO