Computing uses up to 3 percent of global power consumption and AI could triple that, the company believes.
By Heather Clancy
April 22, 2024
The Salesforce Tower in New York City. Image via Shutterstock/Arnett Murry
Salesforce will begin lobbying for new regulations requiring companies to disclose emissions data and efficiency standards for artificial intelligence.
The company announced the move Monday as part of its new “Sustainable AI Policy Priorities.” It has previously published positions on ethics and equity related to AI, as have other big tech companies including Amazon, Google and Microsoft.
Salesforce’s new policy comes amid growing concern over the amount of electricity required to train and run AI algorithms. Data centers already account for 2-3 percent of annual global power consumption. Demand could triple by 2030, accelerated by AI, according to Boston Consulting Group. That possibility has inspired Amazon, Google and Microsoft to look beyond solar and wind to other non-fossil fuel power sources, including nuclear and geothermal.
Like many software companies, Salesforce is vocal about ways AI could improve corporate sustainability such as reducing energy and water usage, monitoring biodiversity and planetary conditions, and speeding data collection for environmental, social and governance policy reporting. Its addition of specific concerns for AI is unique, but not surprising, given that it added “climate” to its public policy priorities in 2021.
“The models that power AI require enormous compute resources to function, resulting in environmental impacts like increased energy demand, carbon emissions, water depletion and resource extraction,” Salesforce said in its brief. “Being mindful of AI’s environmental impact is crucial for ensuring that the technology develops in a way that supports a sustainable future.”
Salesforce identified six priorities for new regulations and incentive programs, in two categories, summarized below:
Salesforce began disclosing energy and environmental metrics related to its AI development activities in December. It’s working strictly on AI models that pertain to its core software applications, which “results in high-performing models that are smaller and more sustainable, cost-effective and easier to fine-tune,” said Boris Gamazaychikov, senior manager of emissions reductions at Salesforce, in that disclosure.
The company is using the most energy-efficient hardware available from Google’s cloud services unit to reduce AI emissions and is running these activities in data centers powered by lower-carbon sources, Gamazaychikov said.
Salesforce — like Amazon, Google and Microsoft — is funding organizations and startups developing AI applications that could have climate benefits. On Monday, it announced support for five more nonprofits: Climate Collective Foundation, Good360, Groundswell, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, and WattTime.
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