If there were any doubt that necessity is the mother of invention, then the race to power AI has all but confirmed it.
Since the artificial intelligence boom began in earnest in 2022, one of the global economy’s biggest priorities has been finding ways to power the technology, with companies the world over vying to find solutions.
It is well known that AI programmes – and the data centres that prop them up – are huge consumers of energy.
In fact, the IEA projects that the sector’s energy consumption is expected to grow 30% a year until 2030, by which point AI will account for 3% of all the world’s energy use.
This huge spike in demand has led to some unusual, innovative developments in recent years, including rebooted nuclear power plants, satellite solar arrays and even investments in fusion reactors.
