Quantum Computing Is Being Pitched as the Fix for AI's Runaway Power Appetite

Can quantum computing save artificial intelligence from itself? The energy and water needs of the AI sector are growing larger all the time, placing enormous pressure on the world’s finite resources and putting unprecedented strain on global energy grids. There is no closing Pandora’s box: AI is here to stay. So how do we change its functionality to keep its operations and growth projections within planetary boundaries? Some experts say that quantum computing could hold the key. According to figures from the International Energy Agency, global electricity generation to supply data centres is expected to grow from 460 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024 to over 1,000 TWh in 2030, and then 1,300 TWh in 2035. That’s the equivalent of adding a whole other Germany to the global power demand by 2024. Under this scenario, by 2030 the world’s data centers alone will be consuming more than all of Russia – the fourth largest energy consumer in the world at 1,176.11 TWh per year."One of the reasons the next generations of AI are looking to consume so much power is that a whole class of the problems they are solving are problems that really are much better suited to quantum calculations," Andrew Dzurak, founder of an Australian quantum startup called Diraq, recently told AFP. Quantum technologies aren’t yet ready for real-world application, but Dzurak says they will be in just a handful of years. His company is currently conducting the world's first field test of a quantum computer in a data center application in Sydney. Building on that work, Dzurak says that quantum computing is already evolving out of lab settings and “will be ready to lift the burden in data centers within five years” according to Phys.org.To be sure, quantum computing requires a significant amount of energy to run, and most models require extremely cold cryogenic temperatures to run. However, that energy demand pales in comparison to the amount of energy needed by the hyperscale data centers currently powering the AI boom. Echoing Dzurak’s sentiments, a September report by nonpartisan global news outlet Semafor stated that “ the sector’s carbon footprint will be relatively small compared to the AI industry’s because quantum is more likely to be used to address specific problems rather than as a general purpose technology.” What is more, quantum computing could make artificial intelligence itself more energy efficient by changing the way that large language models function. “For the things that quantum computing is good at — such as AI processing — there's no way for any GPU to compete against us. Those workloads are ultimately going to go to quantum and current technology just literally can't compete,” Peter Chapman, President and CEO of quantum computing company IonQ, was quoted by Forbes back in 2024. “Quantum computing — our next-generation chip — to simulate what it's doing, you would need something like two and a half billion GPUs and it runs off a two standard wall sockets,” he added. Australia is emerging as a frontrunner in quantum computing, with a number of startups forming a quantum-powered Silicon Valley Down Under. But Australia isn’t the only nation that’s bullish about developing quantum technologies as an answer to all kinds of energy and computing needs, including but far from limited to data centers and AI. As of this year, the United States Department of Energy (DoE) is offering up $215 million in funding to help domestic firms outpace competitors to develop the world’s first reliable quantum computer. The DoE’s Quantum Genesis Q Competition is now accepting proposals on ideas for how to “deploy quantum computers with at least 100 logical qubits that are capable of performing hundreds of millions of fault-tolerant operations and scientific demonstration programs.” The DoE has also rolled out a program called the Quantum High-Performance Computing Validation and Verification Testbed Lab Call, which is soliciting proposals from the United States’ network of national laboratories “to develop and apply a complete set of necessary tools and expertise to perform performance verification of fault-tolerant quantum computers.”By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.comEuropean Gas Prices Rebound on Iran War UncertaintyBurnham Heads to COP31 Torn Between Cheaper Power and Net ZeroYttrium's 125-Fold Price Gap Looms Over Trump-Xi Talks in Shenzhen