AI video generation could soon outpace image creation in energy use
A new Hugging Face study shows that making AI-generated videos uses way more electricity as videos get longer—much more than just doubling the length.
For example, a six-second AI video eats up four times the power of a three-second one.
This steep rise in energy use means bigger environmental and hardware costs compared to just generating images.
A 5-second AI video now consumes as much power as...
Creating a five-second AI video burns as much electricity as running your microwave for over an hour.
With AI-related energy usage already responsible for about 20% of global data center power use, researchers expect total AI-related energy needs to more than double global electricity demand from data centers by 2030.
Tech giants are struggling to meet their sustainability goals
The growing energy demand from generative AI is making it harder to hit sustainability goals.
Google's carbon emissions jumped 13% in 2024, partly because of more AI use.
Even with efforts like smarter data handling, this trend could strain tech infrastructure and challenge climate commitments going forward.