rewrite this title AI’s Energy Consumption May Surpass Bitcoin Mining by the End of the Year

A new study by a researcher suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could soon consume more energy than Bitcoin mining. The scientist also criticizes the lack of transparency from companies regarding their energy use.

As AI technologies continue to evolve rapidly, their energy consumption has been steadily increasing. Tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI are reportedly considering investing in nuclear energy to power the data centers required for training and deploying AI models.

Recent reports now suggest that AI may soon surpass Bitcoin — once heavily criticized for its environmental impact — in total energy usage. Some may recall that Elon Musk once announced that Tesla would accept Bitcoin (BTC) as payment, only to reverse the decision due to the high energy consumption of Bitcoin mining. Ironically, Musk is now one of the most vocal proponents of AI technologies.

AI Will Soon Consume Half of Data Center Energy

According to Alex de Vries-Gao, a researcher at the Amsterdam Institute for Environmental Studies, AI could consume up to half of the energy used by data centers as early as 2025. He warns that this should not be viewed as merely a technical issue; even ordinary individuals will be affected.

As AI energy demand grows, it will place a significant strain on global energy systems, potentially leading to outages and technical disruptions.

However, there is another major issue: lack of transparency. De Vries-Gao notes that his analysis is not definitive because companies do not openly disclose their AI energy consumption data. He believes that reliable and transparent reporting is possible, but firms choose not to share it.

De Vries-Gao also questions why environmental activists, who once pressured the crypto sector — especially Bitcoin and Ethereum — remain silent today when it comes to the environmental impact of AI.

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