These days the United States is experiencing a brutal heat wave. And when temperatures rise, the first thing to suffer is the power grid. But there is an added problem: data centers, those warehouses full of servers where the internet runs, are consuming so much electricity that authorities have had to ask them to turn on their backup generators to take pressure off the grid.
The order has come from PJM, the power grid operator that serves 65 million people on the east coast of the United States. Data centers —the same ones you use when you watch Netflix, work in the cloud or back up photos— need an enormous amount of electricity to run. With the heat wave, everyone cranks up the air conditioning, and the grid cannot keep up. The temporary solution: have data centers use their emergency diesel generators to relieve demand. It is not ideal for the environment, but it prevents blackouts.
This affects all of us more than it seems. Every time we use an app or online service, there is a data center consuming electricity somewhere. According to the latest reports, data centers already consume around 2% of all the electricity in the world, and that figure is expected to double in the coming years with the rise of artificial intelligence. The next time you turn up the thermostat, remember: the internet is also thirsty for energy, and when it is hot, it competes with your air conditioning.
— Marta, for intermittent intelligence.
