The growth of Cambridge and Essex AI can be slowed down due to electricity costs

If the government wants to drive the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in the eastern UK, experts warn that it must invest in long-term renewable energy.

The AI ​​is set to be on the forefront, similar to the £2 billion data center in Larton, Essex, and the prime minister’s plan for “European Silicon Valley” between Cambridge and Oxford.

Dr. Haider Raza, senior AI lecturer at Essex University, said it was a “very exciting time” for the region, but emphasized that AI needs sustainable energy to flourish. Ta.

A government spokesman said he will “explorate bold and clean energy solutions” to meet AI ambitions, working with the UK’s net zero goal.

Eastern England has been at the forefront of government plans on AI technology.

Nscale has pledged £2 billion to the Loughton Data Center for construction by 2026.

It was also expected that the development of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor would increase the UK economy by up to £78 billion. AI plays the role of a catalyst.

The plan is supported by ASTENECA, GSK and ASTEX, and uses AI to develop new cancer drugs at Cambridge Science Park.

However, Dr. Raza said “bad” electricity costs could thwart growth, and the government should invest in renewable energy to power AI centres.

“We need to make our data centers more efficient. This is very important,” he told the BBC.

“Data centers are fired through a lot of energy, especially when they handle too much work and mining a lot of data.

“There are so many aspects that we have to manage. Given the cost of electricity, it’s very challenging financially.”

Research by Dr. Sasha Lucciioni says that using a generator AI system can exacerbate energy problems.

This study found that generative AI could use about 33 times more energy than machines running task-specific software.

Concerns have also been raised by Kenso Trabing. KensoTrabing is a company that AI company Morphware builds computer servers in the UK, but operates in South America at a low cost.

He said that the country’s industrial electricity prices were less attractive than £350 per megawatt hour (MWH) (MWH) when compared to £35 to £40 per MWH in Paraguay.

Despite the UK being the leader in AI, Rachel Reeves’ Silicon Valley plan was unrealistic without cheaper electricity.

“High energy costs are an important barrier to innovation as they are too expensive to test and experiment with new technologies,” he added.

“AI and blockchain projects require enormous computing power and consume a high amount of electricity.”

Minister of Science Patrick Balance visited Cambridge Science Park after being selected by Reeves to lead the growth corridor at Oxford Cumbridge.

He said the region could become “one of the most important innovation zones in the world.”

Cambridge City Council leader Mike Davy said AI must be used responsibly in line with the authorities’ environment.

Concerns have been raised about the region being the driest in the country. This was a factor that previously hindered development.

“We need to make sure the water is ready in our AI data center. We need to make sure the electrical grid is scratched,” Davy said.

However, he emphasized that AI is “at the heart of what we do in the future.”

The Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson division said it recognizes data centers face “sustainability challenges such as energy demand and water use.”

He added: “Many new data centers are already addressing these issues and using sophisticated cooling systems that significantly reduce water consumption.”