Artificial intelligence (AI) is being touted as the solution to almost all the major problems facing our world today, not least climate change. AI promises to drive efficiency in our smart buildings, cities, and grids, it is also expected to reduce energy consumption through the automation of manufacturing and construction. However, the sheer scale of computing power required to handle the exponential increase in the use of AI is becoming an energy consumption problem in its own right, and nowhere is this more evident than in “the cloud”. “Today, all manner of data is sent to the cloud. There, data is stored, filtered, crunched, and analyzed to create energy optimization and actionable energy intelligence that can accelerate us into a greener, cleaner world,” we said, in a 2016 article. “However, the cloud is not a virtual space in a metaphorical sky where our information floats around waiting to be analyzed. It is made up of […]