English 
Spanish 
7 min read
2 comments
Future AI requires more energy than the world can provide today: Brazil leads in renewable energy, but lacks the infrastructure to compete with giants like the US in the race for advanced AI. Will we be able to keep up with ChatGPT's progress?
Artificial intelligence is shaping the future, but its advancement comes at a high price: massive energy consumption. With machines that consume up to six times more electricity than conventional data centers, OpenAI, creator of the revolutionary ChatGPT, warns that the world does not have enough energy to sustain the AI of the future. While countries like Brazil lead in renewable sources, technology giants such as Nvidia, Bill Gates and Sam Altman are betting on nuclear solutions to avoid an energy collapse.
Amid G20 alerts about environmental impact and the United States' race for technological leadership, the question arises: how to balance innovation and sustainability in an era increasingly dependent on supercomputers?
The world faces the energy challenge of the artificial intelligence of the future
The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is challenging the global energy infrastructure. Nicolas Robinson de Andrade, OpenAI’s public policy lead for Latin America and the Caribbean, warned during the Data Privacy Global Conference, held in São Paulo, that the energy available today will not be enough to sustain the development of AI in the future.
- End of the chain? French company launches transmission kit with timing belt
- Clean hydrogen in minutes — Researchers say microwaves can provide clean energy faster
- Archaeologists find ornate tomb belonging to a physician who treated Egyptian pharaohs 4.100 years ago
- Nuclear fusion has found the miracle it needed on the road to commercial power plants
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, aims to build an artificial superintelligence capable of surpassing humanity's collective knowledge and leveraging it for the common good. However, the energy consumption required to achieve this goal worries experts and environmentalists.
Supercomputers dedicated to developing advanced AI consume up to six times more energy than conventional equipment in data centers, which are already essential pillars for digital services such as social networks, banking and e-commerce. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity consumption in data centers could jump from 460 TWh recorded in 2022 to 1.050 TWh in 2026 — more than double Brazil's total energy consumption in 2023.
GPUs: the energy heart of artificial intelligence
This exponential increase in consumption is directly related to the use of GPUs (graphics processing units), components that perform trillions of calculations per second, necessary for the operation of advanced AI models, such as ChatGPT. Despite being more efficient than conventional chips, GPUs consume about ten times more electricity and have met a growing pent-up demand for greater computing power.
Manufacturers such as Nvidia, the market leader, have invested in improvements to make GPUs more efficient. However, the relationship between performance and energy consumption remains a challenge. Andrade highlighted that without increasing the generation of clean energy, it will be impossible to meet the growing needs of the technology industry. The energy dilemma is driving global discussions about the adoption of renewable sources and more sustainable strategies.
Brazil: Leading in renewable energy, but lagging behind in infrastructure
Brazil stands out in this scenario, thanks to its electricity grid, which generates 88% of its energy from renewable sources, such as hydroelectric plants and solar parks. Despite this advantage, the country still lags behind the United States in terms of technological infrastructure. There are currently no data centers dedicated exclusively to AI development in Brazil, although companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and Google have announced investments to expand operations in the country.
In the United States, decades of heavy investment in fiber optic networks and coaxial cables have put the country ahead in the race for artificial intelligence. This infrastructure allows for the installation of robust data centers, essential for the advancement of technologies such as ChatGPT, which require extremely high computational performance.
Nuclear energy as a solution for the AI of the future?
The search for clean energy sources to support AI technology has also driven big names in technology to invest in nuclear power plants. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg are among the leaders who are betting on nuclear generation as a sustainable alternative. Nuclear energy, despite being non-renewable, is considered to have low carbon emissions, meeting sustainability criteria.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is also a partner at Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion company that promises an even more revolutionary solution. Hydrogen nuclear fusion, expected to be operational by 2028, could provide clean, sustainable energy with a lower environmental impact compared to uranium fission. For Andrade, advances in this sector are crucial to address the growing energy consumption of AI technologies.
Nvidia and GPU Market Dominance
At the center of the AI-driven technology revolution is Nvidia, the world’s leading manufacturer of GPUs. Surging demand for these components has propelled the company to the top of the market, reaching a market value of $3,6 trillion earlier this month. Although it is currently surpassed only by Apple, with $3,52 trillion, Nvidia has cemented its role as a key player in the technology industry by posting record revenues thanks to sales of its advanced chips.
The supercomputers used by OpenAI, including those that power ChatGPT, rely heavily on GPUs to perform the mathematical operations that power complex generative AI models. However, this technological dependence also makes computing power an expensive and scarce resource, creating barriers for companies looking to expand their operations.
G20 warns of environmental impact of artificial intelligence
The environmental impacts of the advancement of artificial intelligence were also a topic of debate at the G20 meeting, held in October in the capital of Maranhão, São Luís. The joint declaration of the member countries recognized the risks associated with increased energy consumption and emphasized the need to prioritize large-scale investments in renewable sources and technologies with low environmental impact.
The document also highlighted the potential of AI to promote more sustainable solutions in various sectors, from agriculture to industry. However, experts warn that, without coordinated actions to mitigate climate impacts, the advancement of AI could worsen the global environmental crisis.
The role of OpenAI and the challenges of leading technological transformation
Despite being at the forefront of AI development, OpenAI faces significant challenges. The company, which is operating in the red, relies on strategic partnerships, such as its collaboration with Microsoft, to keep its supercomputers running. According to Nicolas Robinson de Andrade, OpenAI remains aligned with its mission of advancing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity by making free versions of its technologies, such as ChatGPT, available whenever possible.
“Being a leader in a transformative technology requires making tough choices every day,” said Andrade. OpenAI balances operational costs and the pursuit of innovation while navigating a highly competitive landscape with limited resources. For him, collaboration between countries and companies will be crucial to overcoming the energy and technological bottlenecks that arise in this new chapter of digital transformation.
The future of artificial intelligence and Brazil's role
Although Brazil is a leading player in renewable energy generation, with a large portion of its electricity grid coming from hydroelectric plants and other sustainable sources, the country still needs to overcome significant obstacles. The lack of specialized data centers and robust telecommunications infrastructure prevents the full advancement of artificial intelligence technology in the country.
On the other hand, Brazil’s potential to lead debates on clean energy and AI is clear. Andrade believes that, with investments in infrastructure and innovation, the country can position itself as a global reference in the sustainable development of technology. “Countries need to come together to solve the energy bottleneck, and Brazil has a solid foundation to contribute to this global effort,” he concluded.
The future of artificial intelligence will depend on how the world addresses the energy, technological and environmental challenges that arise as it expands. The race for innovation is on, but it will be necessary to align technology and sustainability to ensure a positive impact in the long term.
Let's not be stupid! AI itself will provide the means to create collectors directly from the Sun, as we do today! These will be super powerful and will supply country after country with enough energy to manage themselves.
in their local needs! She is not the Sapiens that we are
But the Sun has always been on, with or without AI! Besides, what's the problem with having a solar caste system?