Big tech vs. utilities: what are "ghost" data centers? 20x lower energy consumption with neuromorphic AI
The debate over data center energy consumption is heating up in Italy, with big tech companies poised to support the AI race and utilities tasked with managing electricity demand. But according to leading industry experts, the published numbers reflect speculative demand rather than actual reality. Meanwhile, research into neuromorphic AI is paving the way for models capable of reducing consumption by 10 to 20 times.
Data centers are increasingly at the center of the Italian debate , which sees the gap widening between the two main camps. On one side, the big tech companies , ready to connect to the electricity grid to support the race towards Artificial Intelligence. On the other, the utilities , fearful of the urgency of addressing a rapidly growing energy demand.
The latest numbers released by Terna actually paint a very different picture than last year, if not a complete reversal compared to just four years ago.
According to an analysis by the country's leading electricity transmission operator, with 55 gigawatts consumed annually (mostly in the North), data centers risk significantly impacting national energy needs . This is a huge figure, equivalent to half of the country's entire thermoelectric capacity. The real problem, however, concerns the grids, which are currently completely unprepared to handle such a surge in demand.
The Italian figures, however, remain far from those coming from the United States. The Wall Street Journal reports that American Electric Power (operating in 11 states) and Texas-based Oncor have received requests to connect to the grid for data center projects that would require nearly 400 gigawatts of electricity.
That’s more than half of the peak demand in the lower 48 states during two days of record heat in July.
But how concrete are these numbers?
According to the American newspaper, many requests overlap, being counted double, triple, or even quadruple by different utilities. This happens because developers and big tech companies, when scouting locations , bombard operators with requests, despite knowing that most of the projects will never be built.
It is no coincidence that they have been nicknamed “ Phantom Data Centers ” .
Looking at the dynamics described overseas, the Italian scenario isn't that far off. Here too, speculative demand doesn't reflect reality. While requests for 42 gigawatts were recorded in March, Terna estimates that by 2030, the real "weight" on national consumption will be equal to 3% , or approximately 11 terawatt-hours .
Projections from the Polytechnic University of Milan and leading global analysts speak clearly: by 2030, we will see between 1.4 and 2 GW of actual IT . Not fifty, but two.
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