The development of artificial intelligence technology can be likened to training an athlete who will compete in international sports games. During the training process and also the competition, after doing sports activities, they will need enough food and water so that they can perform at an optimal rate.
Same with artificial intelligence technology. When they are developed, and also when they are used, the server machines that house them require a large amount of energy and also cooling to ensure that they also operate at an optimal rate.
Several reports on the use of artificial intelligence technology have come out recently, and despite the consumption of electricity required for the purpose of machine learning and also the use of artificial intelligence systems, what is surprising is the use of water by companies such as Microsoft and Google to cool machines- this server machine.
Microsoft that uses AI ChatGPT in their various software such as Bing Chat and also Microsoft Teams has reported that during the year 2021 to 2022, they have used 1.7 billion gallons (~6.4 billion liters) of water, which is a 34 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Google Bard
Google also says that their water consumption has increased by 20 percent over the same year, in their report while developing and using their Google Bard artificial intelligence.
Shaolei Ren, a researcher from the University of California, Riverside said that his team will present a report soon, which found that ChatGPT in particular uses as much as 500ml of water for every five to 50 questions (prompts) asked to it.
A report from the Associated Press also shows an interesting detail, where Microsoft and OpenAI developed a data center in Des Moines, Iowa to test ChatGPT's artificial intelligence, where it eventually became ChatGPT 4.0 which is the premium version of the artificial intelligence technology.
OpenAI
Although the development of this data center provides a large injection of funds for the Des Moines and Iowa area, the local government also says that any new data center project from Microsoft must come with a plan to reduce the area's water consumption.
This is because in July 2022, a month before ChatGPT 4.0 was inaugurated, water use to cool Microsoft and OpenAI data centers alone was 11.5 million gallons or 6.0 percent of the entire Des Moines area's use that month.