Wyoming is planning to build a new data center for processing artificial intelligence tasks that will consume more electricity than all households in the state combined. This is yet another proof of how power-hungry modern AI systems are becoming.
This is a large-scale project in Cheyenne, a joint venture between energy infrastructure company Tallgrass and AI data center developer Crusoe. Initially, it is planned to build a data center that will consume 1.8 GW, with the possibility of scaling up to 10 GW. For comparison, one gigawatt is usually enough to provide electricity to about a million homes.
The fact is that Wyoming is the smallest state in the United States. It is home to only about 590 thousand people. Even at the initial stage, the facility will consume 15.8 TWh per year. It will consume about 5 times more energy than all households combined. And this figure is 91% of the total energy use of all residential, commercial and industrial consumers in Wyoming combined — 17.3 TWh.
When it reaches its full 10 GW capacity, this data center will consume 87.6 TWh of electricity per year. This is twice as much as the 43.2 TWh currently produced by all generating facilities in the state.
Obtaining such a large amount of electricity from the state grid will be problematic. Therefore, the energy infrastructure of the project is provided by Tallgrass, and Crusoe will build the center. The name of the main customer remains a mystery. Some speculate that it is Microsoftwhich has had its data centers in Wyoming since 2012. Others hint at Metawhich has almost completed construction of its own $800 million facility in the same region. Someone else suggests that it could be OpenAI, developer ChatGPT. Crusoe refused to confirm or deny that it was them.
At the same time, Crusoe is already working with OpenAI to build the world’s largest data center in Abilene, Texas. In addition, OpenAI is actively looking for a place to implement the large-scale Stargate project — a giant hub for its next-generation AI models.
The new data center in Wyoming is planned to be powered by separate facilities, including gas and renewable sources. However, some experts warn that the facility’s energy consumption could still lead to higher electricity prices for ordinary residents, given the AI industry’s insane appetite for energy.
Source: tomshardware, arstechnica
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