Data centers and AI gobbling electricity

[taiwan_girl]

These data centers quite large, right? (by square area). Maybe they can require them to cover their roofs with solar panels to help offset some of the electricity.

[Mik]

Not a great idea in VA, OR or IA. Fine idea in AZ, NM, UT, CA.

[Axtremus]

@taiwan_girl said in Data centers and AI gobbling electricity:

These data centers quite large, right? (by square area).

In the era of hyperscale AI and machine learning, data center sizes are expressed in “Gigawatts” rather than square area.

Maybe they can require them to cover their roofs with solar panels to help offset some of the electricity.

The data center owners/operators are already incentivized by the underlying economics to put up solar panels. I don’t believe a government mandate is needed for that. In any case, covering the data centers’ roofs with solar panels will most likely not generate enough power for today’s data centers.

[Mik]

Not even close. Might handle the climate control.

[89th]

Doubtful. Look at the roof of the data center, nothing but AC units, and backup generators outside. MASSIVE power hogs.

[LuFins Dad]

They also tend to grow vertically, not horizontally.

A very real problem that’s arisen is farmland in WV being bought by the hectare, converted to solar farms, and every bit of energy going to these data centers

[Mik]

Bezos says the will be built in space - orbital DCs.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/jeff-bezos-makes-wild-prediction-about-data-centers-as-energy-demand-grows/ar-AA1NOpkg

[Axtremus]

Not any crazier than the Dyson Sphere.

[jon-nyc]

That’s a high bar

[Axtremus]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/technology/openai-amd-chips.html

Over several years, OpenAI plans to deploy enough AMD chips to consume 6 gigawatts of power, an amount that could supply all the households in Massachusetts. As part of its recent agreement with Nvidia, OpenAI agreed to deploy enough to consume 10 gigawatts.

On the financing side, OpenAI has big plan to build many data centers that will cost lots of money. But OpenAI does not have all that money, so it's striking deals left and right to get the chip makers to fund its capital projects. (E.g., promise to buy $100B of Nvidia chips and allow Nvidia to invest $100B in OpenAI.)

[Doctor Phibes]

@Axtremus said in Data centers and AI gobbling electricity:

Not any crazier than the Dyson Sphere.

Isn't that a type of vacuum cleaner?

[jon-nyc]

Yes, actually. Hoovering up energy from a star.

Also constructing one is probably an AI-proof job at least for the foreseeable future.

[Axtremus]

Or @Doctor-Phibes may have been thinking about the Dyson Ball.

[Axtremus]

Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-top-25-countries-with-the-most-data-centers/