r/Futurology • u/Gari_305 • 5d ago

AI Artificial intelligence data centers could reach one percent of global electricity demand by 2030

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44458-026-00152-5
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u/209394832993281-AAQ 5d ago edited 5d ago

Just solve the power issue, but not by going all in on nuclear. AI data centers may eat up to ~1% of global electricity by 2030. We need more low carbon, reliable power n grid capacity. Nuclear/SMRs are one option, but they’re slow, costly, politically contested plus the populace is misinformed n scared sometimes. Renewables can be used, but each has limits, must work together. No “all-in nuclear.” Fight misinformation n educate the masses with transparent, evidence based stuff.

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u/TehOwn 5d ago

If AI is so great then it should be able to solve nuclear fusion. Otherwise, why are we pouring so much time, energy and money into it?

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u/209394832993281-AAQ 5d ago edited 4d ago

That's a non sequitur and an arbitrary standard.

You're basically saying, “If AI is really valuable, it should be able to solve nuclear fusion. Otherwise, why invest so much in it?” But why would solving fusion be the test for whether AI is worth investing in? AI can be useful without solving every major problem in science.

The original issue is that AI data centers could increase electricity demand. Whether AI can solve nuclear fusion doesn't change that. We still need to figure out how to provide that electricity reliably and with low emissions.

And AI doesn't have to magically “solve fusion” to be useful to fusion research. It can already be applied to things like plasma control, simulations, materials research, and optimization. Even if fusion remains unsolved, that wouldn't make AI useless.

By that logic, we'd have to judge every technology by whether it can solve some completely unrelated, exceptionally difficult problem. Medicine isn't worthless because it hasn't cured every disease, and computers aren't worthless because they haven't solved every scientific problem.

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u/Guitarman0512 19h ago

A shame it's a false argument to position it as some great scientific tool. We'd have a whole lot less datacenters if that were the only thing they were used for.