The future-proof arteficial intelligence (AI) and the resilient digital and energy infrastructure nexus

Abstract

About 8000 data centers are worldwide (33% - the USA, 16% - the EU, 10% -China). Between 2017 and 2021 (EPRI, 2024), electricity used by Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google for data center cloud computing doubled. In the USA, data centers will consume up to 9.1% of electricity annually by 2030 versus about 4% in 2024. The total ICT energy consumption in the world can rise from 2-3% up to 16% for the next decades. The growth of data centers and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) rely on the availability of electric power. Opportunities for investors in power infrastructure and adjacent sectors are quickly arisen. Electricity operating expenditures comprise about 20 percent of the total cost base for data center business models, which have proved highly profitable for large companies. The US government (gov) currently classifies AI as a national security issue (House, 2024). It also addresses additional sensitive security issues, including countering adversary use of AI. The EU targeted 75% of European enterprises to leverage cloud computing, big data, and AI to drive innovation and efficiency by 2030 (The European Commission, 2023). In 2024, the UA gov and the Ministry of Digital Transformation issued the concept (КОНЦЕПЦІЯ Державної цільової науково-технічної програми з використання технологій штучного інтелекту в пріоритетних галузях економіки на період до 2026 року, 2024), the road map (Ministry of Digital Transformation in Ukraine, 2023), and the white paper (Ministry of Digital Transformation in Ukraine, 2024) about the AI future. The special focus is on the state AI program for 2024-26, including legislation. The World Bank survey has shown that the ICT-energy nodes represent one of the key risks during the war.