Time to read: 2 min

As a GTM executive I watch and research trends very closely, it helps me a) get out of the day to day operations a bit and looking at things more strategically but also b) it helps me prepare for and make resourcing decisions. So naturally you can imagine my curiosity about AI and its deep impact on pretty much everything.

For example, according to Bloomberg the rise of artificial intelligence AI is not only increasing demand it’s “turbocharging demand” for bigger and more data center capacity. When I queried ChatGPT it told me that this particular driver of data center growth is in the 15-20% annually!

As of March 2024 the global data center numbers have reached 5,381 according to Statista. So the increase in number of data centers is substantial year over year. These data centers have an insatiable need for energy and traditional clear energy sources like wind, solar, water, etc. won’t be enough.

So with all the concern and emphasis on sustainability, my question is how do we ensure AI doesn’t hurt the planet? Data center carbon output is currently at 2% and this growth is said to increase by another 2% – that’s substantial and unsustainable!

The power of AI takes power and a lot of it!

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes an energy breakthrough — likely from nuclear power — is needed to adapt to this new picture. I agree. I think that’s what it’s going to take when all is said and done to power all those queries, all those applications across commercial, educational, research, healthcare and beyond.

Here are the Statista numbers and Bloomberg article. Have a read and feel free to comment.

My take overall is investors should be thinking semi-conductors, hardware/compute systems, and not only clean energy sources but substantial amounts of clean power generation and energy storage systems!

PS: if you would like to turbocharge your career and work with customers that are solving these clean energy, technology and infrastructure challenges to make the world smarter and cleaner, please visit our Fictiv career pages at www.fictiv.com!