😋 AI’s appetite for energy is enormous and growing — how can we offset it?

Plus: Toyota’s cool new Baby Lunar Cruiser, entropy theory says we live in a simulation, drone radar can detect balsa wood opponents. In Coordination with Toptal [Experience the future of remote talent with Toptal.]( Their rigorous screening process ensures you hire from the top 3% of professionals. Scale your team seamlessly and get started in as little as 48 hours. [Read more.]( AI may have a serious power problem. As the technology evolves at a breakneck pace, so does its appetite for energy. A recent study found that one system already consumes as much electricity as 121 American homes do over an entire year. Experts warn that AI’s demand for power could eventually rival that of entire nations. This highlights the limits to our ingenuity, because while AI progresses at a rapid rate, efforts to curb the industry’s carbon footprint lag behind. Sadly, AI giants cannot simply flip a switch to make it more sustainable. Today's [Must Read]( delves deeper into AI’s unchecked power demands. Yes, there are potential solutions, but increased efficiency alone won't be enough to offset its emissions. Good morning. I’m Tim, newsletter editor at IE. This is the Blueprint. Let's get right into it. VIDEO OF THE DAY [Is Nikola Tesla Overrated?]( Why toroidal propellers will transform marine and aerial propulsion Transportation enters a new era with cutting-edge propellers, offering silent efficiency and eco-friendly benefits. SUPPORT INTERESTING ENGINEERING Invest in science and engineering Insider access to exclusive content, featuring riveting stories that take you right to the heart of the action. Engage with our thriving online community, dive into captivating science discoveries, and stay informed with our enlightening weekly premium newsletters. With IE+, quality reporting is more than just news - and it is Ad-Free. [SUBSCRIBE]( HOT TOPICS - ❓ [Sexual queries on AI chatbots make up 10% of total questions]( A team of researchers sifted through 100,000 conversations with 25 chatbots. - 🛰 [Radiator leak spotted on the Russian side of the ISS]( This is the third incident of a leak associated with the Russian spacecraft components, increasing doubts about their reliability. - [premium] [Earth may now be outside the “safe operating space” for humanity]( A new study shows that most of the critical boundaries for the survival of life on Earth have been dangerously breached by human activity, risking irreversible changes. - [premium] [Plant-based meat sales are plummeting. Here’s why.]( Plant-based meat producers have seen a drop in sales from the pandemic onward, are the price and the taste of "fake meat" to blame? - ♻️ [Mercedes partners with the world’s only carbon-neutral spaceship]( It offers a luxurious ride for eight passengers. Must Read [⚡️ Google AI’s power problem: It consumes as much electricity as Ireland]( A recent study found the AI system ChatGPT consumes 1,287 megawatt hours of electricity, equal to 121 US homes' annual usage. Experts warn AI's energy appetite could eventually rival entire nations'. The inference phase, generating AI outputs, devours far more energy than training models. OpenAI's ChatGPT inference used 564 megawatt hours daily, dwarfing its one-time training consumption. Integrating it into Google could require 4 million GPUs, consuming 29 terawatt hours yearly - on par with Ireland. Though hardware and software efficiencies help, they likely can't fully offset AI's emissions. The same human ingenuity that created AI can make it more sustainable, but first we need to recognize the true scale of its appetite for energy. [[Read More]( [Military]( [🪃 General Atomics’ new drone radar can even track balsa wood drones]( General Atomics (GA) unveiled its Eagle Eye radar system with an enhanced capability to detect and track aerial threats, especially small drones. The high-resolution radar can spot targets 50 miles away, enabling the Army’s Gray Eagle drones to monitor targets for destruction by other systems. GA plans to deliver the radar-equipped drones by 2026 just as militaries across the world seek ways to neutralize the growing danger of enemy unmanned aircraft. [[Read More]( A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR [Are you tired of sifting through countless resumes?]( With Toptal, you gain access to highly-vetted, world-class talent that perfectly matches your unique company needs. Whether you require software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, or project managers, they've got you covered. Their highly selective screening process guarantees exceptional talent, matched precisely to your needs in as little as 48 hours. [Hire now!]( [[Read More]( [Transportation]( [🌒 Toyota looks to the Moon with Baby Lunar Cruiser concept]( Toyota's Baby Lunar Cruiser concept blends heritage styling from the iconic FJ40 Land Cruiser with futuristic tech for off-road and lunar roving. Designed by Toyota's CALTY studio, it usess electric motors and offers an augmented reality display. With maneuverability from compact size and airless tires, Toyota suggests it could explore both the Earth and lunar landscapes. It has a very interesting look, to say the least, so click below and see what you think. [[Read More]( [Science]( [🎮 Physicist proposes humans are living in simulated reality]( According to physicist Melvin Vopson, we may be living in a simulated reality. His hypothesis applies information physics, which views the universe as fundamentally comprised of information. Vopson found a new physics law where information entropy decreases over time, unlike normal entropy growth. He says this parallels the compression of redundant code we see in computing, and argues that this supports the simulation theory. Click below to learn more about his provocative idea. [[Read More]( job alert In this section you’ll find the latest jobs as featured on: [jobs.interestingengineering.com]( [Integration Developer Architect]( [Fort Worth,US]( [Software Engineer]( [Cincinnati,US]( [Principal Data Engineer]( [Remote,US]( [Sr. Software Test Engineer I]( [Sunnyvale,US]( [Staff Software Engineer (Quality Assurance)]( [Andover,US]( [Cloud Engineer]( [Remote,US]( QUESTION OF THE DAY Is the Universe and everything in it, including you and me, a simulation? [Yes, for real]( [Definitely not]( [We'll never know]( [Not this again!]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we asked you about the UAE’s plan to build an underwater bullet train link to Mumbai. 38 percent of you believe if it can be built, it will be. 37 percent believe the plan is too ambitious. 11 percent doubt that a see-through tunnel is feasible. 38% Yes, if it's feasible, it'll be built 37% No, the plan is too ambitious 14% Started, but not completed 11% Maybe, but it won't be transparent “The worst-case scenario suggests Google’s AI alone could consume as much electricity as a country such as Ireland (29.3 TWh per year), which is a significant increase compared to its historical AI-related energy consumption.” Alex de Vries THINGS WE LOVE [Winben Humidifier]( [$55.00]( [Magnetic Levitation Globe]( [$31.15]( [Gosky Monocular Telescope]( [$67.93]( [Bestek Wireless Charger]( [$43.79]( AND ANOTHER THING - [Microsoft patents swappable batteries for AR glasses]( - [New study debunks myth about 1918 flu pandemic victims]( - [This AI model helps control increasing drone traffic]( - [Intense space weather may impact nighttime bird migration]( - [Microsoft to launch its new AI chip 'Athena' next month]( - [US Army to start prototyping for electric recon vehicle]( - [MIT geologists discover rock sounds reveal Earth's depth]( - [Anti-smoking law prevented 20,000 deaths in Singapore]( - [Simurgh's legacy: Afghanistan's supercar marvel]( - [ESA satellite reveals one of the biggest ozone holes ever]( Need help with advertising? 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