@vladh The annual electricity report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) says data centers consumed 460TWh in 2022, a figure that could rise to more than 1,000TWh by 2026 in a worst-case scenario
The CBECI estimates that global electricity usage associated with Bitcoin mining ranged from 67 TWh to 240 TWh in 2023, with a point estimate of 120 TWh.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61364
So 110 TWh/460 TWh = 23.9%, almost a quarter of all DC energy use, for Bitcoin alone.
@vladh
GenAI usage is a speculative at the moment, but then I used to plan data centers for a living and what I see going into the DC halls is consistent with these estimates.
https://www.hpcwire.com/2024/07/08/generative-ai-to-account-for-1-5-of-worlds-power-consumption-by-2029/
The question is mostly if the current hype turns into a business, or if it implodes the way NFTs did – let's hope for the planet that it's a hype and is gone in a few years time.