You only need to look at the differences in power consumption between GPUs and CPUs. CPUs were fine for most traditional processing, on the cloud and on-prem. However, the shift to AI has made GPUs the preferred processors. GPUs draw more power due to their design for parallel processing, which is necessary for graphics rendering and intensive computations in AI and gaming.
Top GPUs use 200 to more than 450 watts, while high-end desktop CPUs range from 65 to 150 watts. Midrange GPUs use about 100 to 250 watts, whereas mid-range CPUs usually consume around 65 watts. Replacing CPUs with GPUs will require much more power, cooling, and data centers. Enterprises are telegraphing a high demand for AI. If you do the math, you’ll quickly figure out that there is not enough power being generated on the planet to meet those future demands.
The sound of silence
Discussing the environmental impact of massive data center expansion could tarnish the allure of AI and its seemingly endless potential. Thus, many companies focus public discussions on AI’s innovative and transformative potential rather than its environmental challenges.