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By 2040, computers will need more electricity than the world can generate

John Savard

More Information

I noticed that the yellow line showing total world power generation was not, as it appeared at first, fully horizontal; it rose slightly as one went from left to right.

Given that we have options available to produce more electricity that don't add to carbon emissions which also don't have the serious limitations of wind and solar - nuclear power, with breeder reactors, and using Thorium-232 which is even more common than Uranium-238 - I feel that if there is a continuing demand for more computing power that, due to limited improvements in energy efficiency in processor chips, leads to a demand for more electrical power, it can be met for many years to come.

It's also possible that their graph assumed more people buying microprocessors, in order to generate that rising demand curve for electrical power, than the world is actually capable of feeding, in which case that graph would illustrate the least of our problems.

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