ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION BY data centres will more than double by 2030, driven by artificial intelligence applications that will create new challenges for energy security and CO2 emission goals, the IEA has said. At the same time, AI can unlock opportunities to produce and consume electricity more efficiently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its first report on the energy implications of AI. Data centres represented about 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024, but that has increased by 12% annually over the past five years. Generative AI requires colossal computing power to process information accumulated in gigantic databases. Together,...