U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm emphasised the critical role of artificial intelligence in addressing global challenges during her address at the NVIDIA AI Summit on October 9.
Granholm highlighted AI's potential. "AI can really help to solve some of those huge problems — whether climate change, cancer or national security," she said. "The possibilities of AI for good are awesome, awesome." The Energy Secretary stressed the need to leverage AI both offensively and defensively, calling the Department of Energy "America's Solutions Department."
The Energy Secretary's remarks came during the AI for Science, Energy and Security session, where she outlined the department's focus on tackling major global issues.
Granholm stresseded the importance of harnessing AI's capabilities responsibly, particularly in light of increasing energy demands from data centres. "We are going to see about a 15% increase in power demand on our electric grid as a result of the data centres that we want to be located in the United States," she explained. To address this, Granholm announced significant progress in clean energy production: "This year, in 2024, the United States will have added 30 Hoover Dams' worth of clean power to our electric grid."