MHP – A Porsche Company’s Post

Trying to avoid the "Rebound-Effect"? No, I am not talking about your diet! ;) Find out how my colleagues Christian Rudolf, Lena Becker, and Tino Kyre help our clients to fulfill regulatory demands by combining the #twintransformation. Enjoy reading! :) #EnableYouToShapeABetterTomorrow

Balancing the buildout of AI with the Cost of Climate In the rapidly evolving tech landscape, achieving net-zero emissions is becoming increasingly challenging, especially with the rise of energy-intensive generative AI. As a recent S&P Global Daily Update highlights, companies like Google and Microsoft have seen their emissions spike due to expanding data centre footprints needed to support AI growth. With projections showing a doubling of electricity demand by 2026, the tech industry's decarbonization targets appear increasingly daunting. "The International Energy Agency projected that electricity demand could double by 2026 from 2022 levels due to increased data centre usage. Datacenters use 10 to 40 times more energy per square foot than a typical office building. In 2024, year-over-year datacenter industry revenue is projected to grow 14% in Europe and 18% in the US, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence 451 Research. Many data centres have been built in areas that depend upon high emissions coal-burning energy generation. Analysts have suggested that data centre demand is keeping many coal plants, which would otherwise be slated for retirement, operational. " However, there is a solution that allows continued investment in AI while meeting net-zero goals: Green Premium Certificates. At First Carbon and with H2C.org, we offer a platform that certifies and trades these certificates, documenting the premium environmental attributes of low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production. By investing in these certificates, tech companies can offset their emissions and support the development of clean energy technologies. Join us at H2C to be part of an ecosystem driving the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Together, we can pave the way for sustainable AI advancements while achieving our climate goals. Learn more and become a partner at H2C. Microsoft Amazon Web Services (AWS) Brian Marrs Peter Ellen David Peebles #NetZero #GreenPremiumCertificates #AI #Sustainability #TechIndustry #H2C #CleanEnergy #GreenHydrogen

AI & GHG Emissions AI needs data and massive computing power. As of December 2023, there are approximately 10,978 datacentres worldwide. The United States alone has 5,375. Other countries with a significant number of datacentres include Germany, the U.K., China, Canada, and the Netherlands. Datacentre industry is massive and growing. The largest datacentre in the world, the China Telecom Data Centre in Inner Mongolia Information Park, covers over 10 million square feet (929,000 square meters). Microsoft's Data Centre in Iowa occupies an area of 1.2 million square feet (111,480 square meters). Worldwide, datacentres consume about 3% of the global electric supply and are estimated to account for 2.5% to 3.7% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, exceeding the emissions from the aviation industry. The environmental impact of datacentres is significant, and efforts to reduce their GHG emissions are becoming increasingly important. The main source of GHG emissions related to datacentres come from electricity consumption, refrigerants & cooling systems, construction and equipment manufacture and e-waste. The datacentres are growing, their emissions will grow and it may eventually become the biggest polluter. How are we going to tackle it? They do not attract the same attention that maritime and aviation industry attract. I got the above data through AI. AI is helpful, but how to we regulate it? #ai #ghgemissions #datacentre #carbonfootprint #marine #maritime #aviation

Artificial intelligence strains the #climate. And this is a remarkable example of Western double standards policy. The large-scale implementation of data centres increases the #carbonemissions of the largest technology companies. Google announced that the company's carbon emissions increased by 13% in 2023, compared with 2019, the indicator increased by 50% altogether. In May, Microsoft also reported that introducing artificial intelligence and developing data centres increased greenhouse gas emissions last year by 30% compared to 2020. At the same time, the corporation itself aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. Many analytical agencies and environmentalists fear that this will eventually lead to greater involvement of fossil fuels in electricity generation. The main hope is that renewable energy sources will replace fossil fuels, but their capacities are insufficient. #ai #netzero #climatechange #emission #decarbonization

Power struggles: how data centres can prepare for the AI boom It’s hard to find an industry completely unaffected by #AI. With innovations promising to revolutionize the way we work and live, it’s no surprise that demand for AI is skyrocketing. ⚡ But this trajectory poses significant challenges for utilities and #datacentres that must address already over-stressed power grids, meeting electricity demands and sustainability goals. For data centres this means: ✅ Energy and sustainability cannot be an afterthought in the planning and development process ✅ Interacting with and contributing to power grids, rather than being a burden on them, is key ✅ Investment in on-site renewable power generation, energy storage and demand response capabilities will set leaders apart Getting this right is not only a matter of ensuring that the AI boom does not spell disaster for the energy and environment, but also of business continuity. Ireland, Germany, Singapore and China are some of the regions where governments have imposed restrictions on new data centre developments due to concerns over energy and sustainability. 🚫 Don’t let your data centre development plans be hampered by overlooking the importance of good energy management. #artificialintelligence #sustainability #powerdemand

The current surge in US demand for electricity is being driven in part by AI and the data centres on which the tech depends with growth predicted at 10-15% over 10-years from these two sources alone (according to GS and McKinsey respectively). Yet, the overarching societal benefits remain speculative. The Bureau for Economic Research recently challenged the magnitude of the productivity boost that AI presents https://lnkd.in/eXmPXzNZ referencing a 0.66% growth in Total Factor Productivity (perhaps asymmetric with the electricity demands required to deliver). The market now looks to be well ahead of its skis — witness the $3 trillion valuation of NVIDIA — and the US policy response is apparently unable to appropriately reconcile economic efficiency, the enabling of market oligopolies, the energy transition, climate change and national security considerations.

📌 NEW 📌 This is a very interesting piece on the interlinkage between energy and AI from Jason Bordoff and Jared Dunnmon. The theme is extremely actual (and the IEA is preparing a major study on it) and there is no day without big announcements between the “Big Tech” and the energy sector. Here five things the article made me think about 1/ The first is how much we can deal with digital/cloud and other ‘immaterial’ things, but to make that happen it is a matter of real, concrete, tangible… infrastructures, infrastructures and infrastructures… 2/ Another (similar) element is security.. the digital / bot / AI fluctuates in the net, but if you make it at home, the gains in terms of investment, jobs and … security… are not trivial 3/ To kick off any society and to provide the most essential services, energy supply and reliability is absolutely decisive. It is the same also when it comes to the most modern part of society.. 4/ One of the biggest “issues” of any modern economy is … permitting! AI is not an exception and to make any parts of AI/data centre advancing in harmonious way is critical for finalising projects and remaining competitive 5/ Efficiency first: this is the mantra for energy use – make the most out of each electrons and/or molecules. It is the case for data centres/ AI too. There is a wide range of estimates on energy (electricity) demand coming from the sector. A major job for the IT companies is to not make chips ‘only’ more performing, but being able to use as less energy as possible (and the same for water please!) If the leadership on AI goes mainly through  energy, as the article claims, is hard to say for me. But for sure, energy sits in first row in the race for digital leadership.... https://lnkd.in/eQEsXGHK . #energy #data #future #innovation #technology #sustainability

Efficiency first: this is the mantra for energy use , All process should be able to use as less energy as possible (and the same for water please!)........

The #AI-energy link is hot, hot, hot—just like #geothermal, which literally taps into Earth’s heat. Next-gen geothermal, alongside nuclear, extends clean, emission-free energy to a wide range of locations. With data centers expected to consume up to 9% of global electricity by 2030, geothermal provides reliable 24/7 power without the nuclear waste risk. It’s a perfect fit for AI’s rapidly growing energy demands and a BYOE scenario. #sustainability #cleanenergy

As organizations rush to integrate AI platforms into their businesses, the impact on data center energy requirements is skyrocketing, with future demand certain to rise. As my colleague Petrina Steele, Global Lead, Emerging Technologies explains in this article, "by 2050, AI will be integrated into every aspect of life, and this evolving architecture must address data management, scalability, and the impact of AI infrastructure on resources and energy consumption. In this same article, Gary Aitkenhead, our SVP of EMEA Operations, acknowledges increased energy consumption poses challenges for teams in terms of power distribution, cooling, and overall operational efficiency. To meet the growing demand for data and AI workloads, Equinix is proactively anticipating changes and taking steps to optimize energy efficiency. This includes deploying energy-efficient hardware, implementing infrastructure to support advanced cooling systems like direct-to-chip liquid cooling, and adopting renewable energy sources through power purchase agreements. Read the full article below. #artificialintelligence #datacenter #sustainability