IT Essentials: The AIrony

AI is a necessary evil for the energy sector

CIOs in the utilities industry have mixed feelings about artificial intelligence.

As the weather (oh-so-slowly) heats up, the IT teams operating datacentres – or still running servers on-prem - are preparing for their annual trial by fire as they try keep their tech cool enough to operate.

Datacentres are the engine of the tech sector, and like an engine they kick out massive amounts of heat. As they get hotter, they need more and more energy to stay cool and run smoothly.

Rising AI adoption means the problem is only growing, and a recent survey found that sustainability is being de-prioritised in the push for AI.

Luckily, the IT industry is adaptable. Companies have been investigating alternative cooling methods for years. The Nordics are a popular location, and the bottom of the sea might also be a viable base.

But what about the existing datacentres and server rooms? It's difficult to lift and shift them to the Atlantic, but water cooling might still hold the answer, as John Leonard heard recently.

In the last month I've reached out to CIOs across the utilities sector, and all acknowledge the irony of needing AI to get ready for the future; but they're also optimistic. Most think that the technology's benefits will outweigh its drawbacks.

Sarah Milton-Hunt, CIO at National Grid, is an upcoming guest on Computing's new podcast Ctrl Alt Lead – launched last week – where we talk about exactly this topic, so watch out for that episode in the near future on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Have your ESG efforts fallen off in favour of AI – or are you using AI to help reach your targets? I'd love to know. Reach out to [email protected].

Recommended Reads:

Accompanying our analyses of the other party manifestos, we've looked at the last one to release, from Reform UK (although the party prefers to call it a "contract"). It isn't a serious document – Reform has no hope of getting more than a handful of seats – but the sentiment inside demonstrates a serious misunderstanding of how the tech sector works. But, as Penny Horwood writes, the point isn't to be serious: it's to get headlines.

I've also talked to David Green, head of innovation at the Blenheim Estate, about how Blenheim is storing, analysing and using the masses of data it collects from its sensor network, and how its learnings could be applied to other World Heritage sites.