Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warned the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that AI development could require a staggering 99% of the world’s electricity, drastically altering the global balance of power if China achieves “superintelligence” first.
Schmidt told lawmakers that the energy demand for the AI industry is projected to surge from 3% to 99% of total generation, with an additional 29 gigawatts required by 2027 and 67 more gigawatts by 2030. He emphasized the need for increased energy production in all forms, stating, “What we need from you is we need the energy in all forms, renewable, non-renewable, whatever. It needs to be there, and it needs to be there quickly.” Schmidt cautioned that if China achieves superintelligence first, “it changes the dynamic of power globally, in ways that we have no way of understanding or predicting.”
However, many AI researchers believe that the type of computer intelligence Schmidt described is highly unlikely to arrive anytime soon. This has led to speculation that Schmidt may be hyping the threat of Chinese AI to influence lawmakers and promote the growth of the AI industry, as well as secure the energy supply required to power data centers for AI. Schmidt has a personal interest in growing the AI industry, having been caught hiding direct investments in AI startups during his tenure as chairman of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. Energy committee chair Brett Guthrie described Schmidt’s assessment as “sober,” despite many experts disagreeing with the likelihood of superintelligence emerging soon.
Schmidt’s advocacy for increased energy production has been seen as a strategy to support the AI industry’s growth, with some critics accusing him of “corporate capture.” This tactic, also employed by other Silicon Valley giants like Uber, involves influencing lawmakers to create favorable regulations.
