With the popularity of AI tools, their impact on the environment has gradually attracted attention. According to reports,American scholars pointed out that the energy consumption of AI computing is much higher than that of traditional search engines. A simple query may consume 23 times the power of traditional search.The operation of AI relies on large data centers. These centers need to operate around the clock to process queries, store data and generate responses in real time, consuming a lot of energy.
University of Maine new media professor Jon Ippolito developed an app to compare the energy consumption of different digital activities.
He found that the more complex the problem, the higher the computing and energy requirements behind it. A simple AI query, such as "What is the capital of France?" consumes about 23 times as much power as a traditional search.
For more complex questions, such as "How many gummy bears could fill the Pacific Ocean?" the power consumption can be as high as 210 times that of a traditional search.
The energy consumption of generating images and videos is even more staggering.Data from Ippolito shows that an AI video of only 3 seconds consumes the same energy as keeping an incandescent light bulb lit for more than a year.
Hugging Face’s research also pointed out that the power required to generate a high-definition picture is equivalent to half of charging a mobile phone.
In addition, data centers also require a large amount of fresh water to cool down. The American Institute of Environment and Energy pointed out that large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day, which is equivalent to the daily water consumption of a town with a population of 50,000.
