Server Processors in the AI Era: Can They Go Greener?
Avi Messica and Ziv Leshem (NeoLogic)
EETimes (November 9, 2023)
The more power-efficient they get, the more the data center’s workload pulls them back to a more distant starting point.
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) says in “The Godfather Part III.” Much the same might be said of server processors: The more powerful and power-efficient they get, the more the data center’s workload pulls them back to a more distant starting point.
As data centers continue to expand in scale, complexity and connectivity, their power consumption increases as well. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers and data transmission networks are responsible for 1% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The estimated global data center electricity consumption in 2022 was 240 TWh to 340 TWh, or about 1% to 1.3% of global electricity consumption, excluding energy that was spent for cryptocurrency mining.1 According to some sources, it reaches 3% and tops industries like aviation, shipping, and food and tobacco.
Despite great efforts to improve processors’ efficiency, the rapid growth of AI workloads has resulted in a substantial increase in energy consumption over the past decade, growing by 20% to 40% annually. The combined electricity consumption of the Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta clouds has more than doubled between 2017 and 2021, rising to about 72 TWh in 2021.1
E-mail This Article | Printer-Friendly Page |
Related News
- Can AI Design a Better Chip Than a Human?
- Can IBM Ecosystem Advance AI Chip Performance 1000x?
- Can ARM succeed in the entry-level server space?
- RISC-V Processors Addressing Edge AI Devices to Reach 129 Million Shipments by 2030
- BrainChip and Unigen Partner to Deliver Powerful, Energy-Efficient Edge AI Server
Breaking News
- Thalia's AMALIA 24.2 introduces pioneering estimated parasitics feature to reduce PEX iterations by at least 30%
- TSMC plans 1.6nm process for 2026
- Qualitas Semiconductor Partners with TUV Rheinland Korea to Enhance ISO 26262 Functional Safety Management System
- M31 has successfully launched MIPI C/D PHY Combo IP on the advanced TSMC 5nm process
- Ceva multi-protocol wireless IP could simplify IoT MCU and SoC development
Most Popular
- Controversial former Arm China CEO founds RISC-V chip startup
- Siemens collaborates with TSMC on design tool certifications for the foundry's newest processes and other enablement milestones
- Credo at TSMC 2024 North America Technology Symposium
- Synopsys Accelerates Next-Level Chip Innovation on TSMC Advanced Processes
- Kalray Joins Arm Total Design, Extending Collaboration with Arm on Accelerated AI Processing