AI Is a Humongous Electricity Hog. That’s Great.

Next time you ask ChatGPT for a lasagna recipe, consider how much computing power you’re using: On a typical day, the AI chatbot handles an estimated 195 million queries, consuming enough electricity to supply some 23,000 US households. By 2026, booming AI adoption is expected to help drive a near-doubling of data centers’ global energy use, to more than 800 terawatt-hours — the annual carbon-emission equivalent of about 80 million gasoline-powered cars.