Microsoft’s energy consumption has ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ over the past four years! ๐ฒ
This stark increase caught my attention while reviewing the ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ they published in May.
As someone deeply interested in the environmental impact of AI, I decided to dig in, and to use ChatGPT to assist with extraction and analysis (yes, I do see the irony ๐).
In the first comment, Iโll break down exactly how I pulled these insights together, but let’s examine first what caught my eye :
๐ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ:
Microsoftโs energy use soared from 11.3 million MWh in FY20 to an astonishing 24 million MWh in FY23, driven by the expansion of data centers to power cloud services and AI.
โก๏ธ We see the same trend in Singapore, where new data center projects are now moving forward under strict sustainability guidelines after the government lifted a 2019 construction moratorium.
๐ฑ ๐๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ ๐ข๐ค๐จ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ:
Even with the sharp increase in energy use, Microsoftโs COโ emissions “only” rose by 40%, thanks to their substantial investments in renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
โก๏ธTheyโve made commendable strides by securing power purchase agreements that ensure a greater share of their energy is clean. Kudos to Microsoft for their commitment to sustainability. ๐
๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฎ%:
In average, each MWh consumed went from generating $13,333 to $9,009.
โก๏ธThis likely reflects the growing costs of scaling AI infrastructure and the challenges of making AI truly profitable. While AI is transformative, it is now clear that effectively monetizing it is proving tougher than expected. ๐ค
These figures illuminate the complex relationship between technological advancement, energy consumption, and profitability.
As we push the boundaries of AI and cloud computing, here’s an interesting question: are these “just” the pains of the beginning of a revolutionary technology, or are they early warning signs of an unsustainable digital future?
If you have any opinion to share, please do so down below ๐