Balancing AI’s Energy Demand: Insights from Bangkok’s 14th Greenovative Forum

At the heart of the bustling metropolis of Bangkok, amidst the futuristic backdrop of True Digital Park West, an air of excitement and curiosity enveloped the 14th Greenovative Forum. This year, the event was themed “Crafting Tomorrow’s Future with Sustainable Energy and AI,” and it served as the celebratory hallmark of Bangchak Corporation Plc’s 40th anniversary. With Prasong Poontaneat, the acting board chairman, sharing opening remarks, the event set the stage for a thrilling discourse on the intersections of artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainable energy.

AI is a buzzword that’s hard to ignore in today’s tech-savvy world. While it promises to revolutionize numerous industries with its advanced computational capabilities, it relentlessly consumes electricity like an insatiable behemoth. The core dilemma highlighted at the forum was this: as the global community inches toward cleaner energy solutions, how do we feed AI’s ever-growing hunger for power without compromising our environmental goals?

Chaiwat Kovavisarach, the group CEO and president of Bangchak, eloquently compared AI to Google in its functionality but noted the former’s massive energy appetite. “AI makes Google’s demands look like a power nap,” he humorously quipped to the audience, which included energy gurus, AI enthusiasts, and environmental advocates. Yet, there is hope. Chaiwat expressed Bangchak’s ambitious dream of transforming AI into an energy-efficient powerhouse, not just a power glutton.

Behind this objective lies a formidable challenge: how to balance the benefits of AI with its potential downsides, such as workforce displacement and surging energy requirements. “As AI ascends, the world charts an energy path it has never traversed before,” stated Mr. Prasong, emphasizing the thinning line between sustainable advancement and the need for more electricity.

The theoretical musings don’t stop at AI’s voracity. The forum explored if renewable sources like solar and wind are enough to sustain AI’s power binge. As Chaiwat pointed out, the world’s energetic journey has always been about diversification, from biomass to coal, and from nuclear to renewables. However, with AI on the scene, Chaiwat highlighted a stark reality: we need an additional 0.31 Zettajoules (ZJ) to meet future demands, which is about a billion trillion joules more than what we currently muster.

Diving deeper into the tech side, Chaiwat mapped out the evolution from a humble Data Centre needing 5 megawatts to a futuristic Data Centre 3.0 requiring up to 1,000 megawatts when AI is fully integrated. “Imagine the power demand hitting a staggering 5 gigawatts—that’s like a hundred Bangchak refineries!” he declared, invoking gasps and nods from the audience.

To bridge this gaping energy chasm, some researchers suggest strolling down the nuclear road. This notion led the conversation to Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Praised for their smaller footprints and potentially safer operations, SMRs could very well be part of the answer to AI’s power dilemma. Yet, Mr. Chaiwat was quick to pin safety as paramount, underlying the necessity to guard against environmental hazards.

Of course, technological innovation isn’t the sole road to energy salvation. A behavioral shift toward energy conservation could close some gaps. Take, for instance, our love for air conditioning in the tropics. “Why bundle up in sweaters indoors while the air conditioner blasts to a polar chill?” mused Chaiwat, drawing chuckles from the crowd.

As the forum drew to a close, the overarching narrative was one of balanced optimism—of how to intelligently harness AI while preserving our planet’s future. In the words of Mr. Chaiwat, “Let us wield AI and energy not as competing juggernauts, but as collaborative giants leading us into a sustainable tomorrow.”