Google: AI helps improve energy efficiency, Finland becomes key to global layout

The controversy over AI's power consumption continues to burn, but a Google climate sustainability executive has stepped up to clarify, emphasizing that AI's contribution to energy conservation far outweighs its energy consumption. He pointed out that building data centers in Finland plays an indispensable and key role in their global strategic layout. Adam Elman, head of sustainability for Google in EMEA, responded to external criticisms regarding data center energy consumption in an exclusive interview with Helsingin Sanomat. He noted that in 2024, global data centers accounted for only 1.5% of total global electricity consumption, with AI being just a fraction of that. Even if it doubles by 2030, it will only represent one-tenth of the new global electricity demand by then. Industrial production, building heating and cooling, and the proliferation of electric vehicles are the primary drivers pushing up power consumption. According to the latest data, Google's proprietary TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) chip, Ironwood, now achieves 30 times the computational performance per watt compared to the same chip from 2018. Over the past five years, Google's overall electrical computing efficiency has improved sixfold. Furthermore, the Gemini AI model has drastically reduced its energy consumption by 33 times and lowered its carbon emissions by 44 times within just 12 months. Citing research from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and climate scientists, he pointed out that the positive climate benefits of developing AI will "significantly exceed" the carbon footprint of data centers. For example, it can assist power companies in simulating thousands of grid scenarios, such as EV adoption or power plant trips, allowing for proactive dispatching. 96% of Finland's electricity comes from low-carbon and green energy. Its high latitude and cool climate significantly reduce the need for cooling equipment setups. Google's Hamina data center directly pumps seawater from the Gulf of Finland to cool its server rooms, while the waste heat generated by machine operations is sent through pipelines into the city's district heating system to keep residents warm in winter. According to land data surveyed by Finnish financial media Tekniikka & Talous, Google's Finnish subsidiary Tuike Finland has already purchased over 2,500 hectares of land in the three municipalities of Muhos, Kajaani, and Vaala at an average of about 20,000 euros per hectare, totaling more than 50 million euros. Muhos is progressing the fastest, with the municipal council having passed the industrial zoning plan in March. With the continuous expansion of AI computing demand, Finland's renewable energy advantages and waste heat reuse mechanisms are expected to attract more tech companies to follow suit.