Top Biden administration officials convened with technology industry leaders at the White House to address the growing infrastructure demands of artificial intelligence (AI). The meeting held on Thursday was attended by representatives of OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, and Anthropic, according to CNN.
Top US officials, including National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard, presided over the meeting. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo from the Biden administration were present to ensure that both energy and technology issues were discussed.
The primary aim of the meeting was to enhance the partnerships between the public and private sectors to foster AI data center development in the United States. These data centers are important for the increasing need for computing power and energy for AI technologies. Additionally, the reports discussed the required permits, human resource requirements, and power requirements for these facilities.
Tech giants highlight energy needs for AI advancement
White House press secretary Robyn Patterson said that the administration aims to advance the use of AI in a way that generates employment and contributes to the economy. For instance, OpenAI revealed earlier this year that the company plans to pump at least tens of billions of dollars into the US to build AI capacity. This will involve building data centers, increasing power supply, and increasing the production of semiconductors through both local and international financing. It has been reported that OpenAI has been in talks with the government to address national security issues. This includes foreign investments in important sectors.
A major issue with AI is that it consumes more power, which may put a strain on power infrastructure and hamper the Biden administration’s aim to decarbonize the electricity sector by 2035. Ruth Porat, Google’s president, said that the United States requires modernization and expansion of its energy systems. Energy Secretary Granholm also noted this concern and encouraged technology companies to invest in cleaner sources of power generation to meet increasing demand.
Officials and tech leaders tackle workforce and permitting issues
Apart from the infrastructure, the meeting also discussed the issues of the workforce and permitting concerning the use of AI. With the advancement of AI technologies, there is a requirement for trained personnel to monitor the growing systems. Moreover, streamlining the permitting process for constructing data centers and other critical facilities is critical to addressing AI development.
The Biden administration has supported the use of clean energy technologies to meet the energy needs of data centers. According to the Department of Energy, demands from data centers could consume 9% of total US electricity generation by 2030, up from 4% by 2023.
Also, Goldman Sachs projected that the AI data centers will use an extra 200 Terawatt-hour per annum by 2030, accounting for 19% of the total power used in data centers.
