Technology

AI could consume more power than Bitcoin by the end of 2025

Published

7 months ago

May 29, 2025

AI could consume more power than Bitcoin by the end of 2025

AI could soon surpass Bitcoin mining in energy consumption, according to a new analysis that concludes artificial intelligence could use close to half of all the electricity consumed by data centers globally by the end of 2025.

The estimates come from Alex de Vries-Gao, a PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Institute for Environmental Studies who has tracked cryptocurrencies’ electricity consumption and environmental impact in previous research and on his website Digiconomist. He published his latest commentary on AI’s growing electricity demand last week in the journal Joule.

AI already accounts for up to a fifth of the electricity that data centers use, according to de Vries-Gao. It’s a tricky number to pin down without big tech companies sharing data specifically on how much energy their AI models consume. De Vries-Gao had to make projections based on the supply chain for specialized computer chips used for AI. He and other researchers trying to understand AI’s energy consumption have found, however, that its appetite is growing despite efficiency gains — and at a fast enough clip to warrant more scrutiny.

“Oh boy, here we go.”

With alternative cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin — namely Ethereum — moving to less energy-intensive technologies, de Vries-Gao says he figured he was about to hang up his hat. And then “ChatGPT happened,” he tells The Verge. “I was like, Oh boy, here we go. This is another usually energy-intensive technology, especially in extremely competitive markets.”

There are a couple key parallels he sees. First is a mindset of “bigger is better.” “We see these big tech [companies] constantly boosting the size of their models, trying to have the very best model out there, but in the meanwhile, of course, also boosting the resource demands of those models,” he says.

That chase has led to a boom in new data centers for AI, particularly in the US, where there are more data centers than in any other country. Energy companies plan to build out new gas-fired power plants and nuclear reactors to meet growing electricity demand from AI. Sudden spikes in electricity demand can stress power grids and derail efforts to switch to cleaner sources of energy, problems similarly posed by new crypto mines that are essentially like data centers used to validate blockchain transactions.

The other parallel de Vries-Gao sees with his previous work on crypto mining is how hard it can be to suss out how much energy these technologies are actually using and their environmental impact. To be sure, many major tech companies developing AI tools have set climate goals and include their greenhouse gas emissions in annual sustainability reports. That’s how we know that both Google’s and Microsoft’s carbon footprints have grown in recent years as they focus on AI. But companies usually don’t break down the data to show what’s attributable to AI specifically.

To figure this out, de Vries-Gao used what he calls a “triangulation” technique. He turned to publicly available device details, analyst estimates, and companies’ earnings calls to estimate hardware production for AI and how much energy that hardware will likely use. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which fabricates AI chips for other companies including Nvidia and AMD, saw its production capacity for packaged chips used for AI more than double between 2023 and 2024.

After calculating how much specialized AI equipment can be produced, de Vries-Gao compared that to information about how much electricity these devices consume. Last year, they likely burned through as much electricity as de Vries-Gao’s home country of the Netherlands, he found. He expects that number to grow closer to a country as large as the UK by the end of 2025, with power demand for AI reaching 23GW.

Last week, a separate report from consulting firm ICF forecasts a 25 percent rise in electricity demand in the US by the end of the decade thanks in large part to AI, traditional data centers, and Bitcoin mining.

It’s still really hard to make blanket predictions about AI’s energy consumption and the resulting environmental impact — a point laid out clearly in a deeply reported article published in MIT Technology Review last week with support from the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism. A person using AI tools to promote a fundraiser might create nearly twice as much carbon pollution if their queries were answered by data centers in West Virginia than in California, as an example. Energy intensity and emissions depend on a range of factors including the types of queries made, the size of the models answering those queries, and the share of renewables and fossil fuels on the local power grid feeding the data center.

It’s a mystery that could be solved if tech companies were more transparent

It’s a mystery that could be solved if tech companies were more transparent about AI in their sustainability reporting. “The crazy amount of steps that you have to go through to be able to put any number at all on this, I think this is really absurd,” de Vries-Gao says. “It shouldn’t be this ridiculously hard. But sadly, it is.”

Looking further into the future, there’s even more uncertainty when it comes to whether energy efficiency gains will eventually flatten out electricity demand. DeepSeek made a splash earlier this year when it said that its AI model could use a fraction of the electricity that Meta’s Llama 3.1 model does — raising questions about whether tech companies really need to be such energy hogs in order to make advances in AI. The question is whether they’ll prioritize building more efficient models and abandon the “bigger is better” approach of simply throwing more data and computing power at their AI ambitions.

When Ethereum transitioned to a far more energy efficient strategy for validating transactions than Bitcoin mining, its electricity consumption suddenly dropped by 99.988 percent. Environmental advocates have pressured other blockchain networks to follow suit. But others — namely Bitcoin miners — are reluctant to abandon investments they’ve already made in existing hardware (nor give up other ideological arguments for sticking with old habits).

There’s also the risk of Jevons paradox with AI, that more efficient models will still gobble up increasing amounts of electricity because people just start to use the technology more. Either way, it’ll be hard to manage the issue without measuring it first.

Related Topics:ai Bitcoin Climate crypto Energy environment science Tech

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Technology

Silksong is getting a free expansion next year

Published

8 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Silksong is getting a free expansion next year

It’s still hard to believe that Hollow Knight: Silksong actually came out this year, but now, we all have a new thing to wait for: the game is getting a free expansion in 2026, titled Sea of Sorrow. Team Cherry calls it the game’s “first big expansion.”

“New areas, bosses, tools, and more!” Team Cherry says in a blog post. “Hornet’s adventures continue in our nautically themed expansion, coming free for all players next year. We’ll keep further details a secret for now, but expect additional info shortly before Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow releases.”

More than 7 million people bought Silksong, according to Team Cherry, and “millions more” played on Xbox Game Pass.

The original Hollow Knight is getting updated, too. Team Cherry is working on a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game that “incorporates all the updates and enhancements that Silksong received on the platform: High frame-rate modes, higher resolutions, and many additional graphical effects.” Players who own the Switch version of the game will get the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition as a free update when it’s available in 2026.

Ahead of that launch, Team Cherry says it will be “updating all versions of the original game for current platforms, adding features and fixing bugs.” Those changes include “full 16:10 and 21:9 aspect ratio support for those of you with Steam Decks or ultrawide monitors,” and PC players can try the new updates in public beta.

Technology

Petco confirms major data breach involving customer data

Published

9 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Petco confirms major data breach involving customer data

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Petco revealed a data breach that exposed sensitive customer information. The company disclosed the details in state filings after identifying a configuration in one of its software applications that made certain files accessible online. This issue has now been corrected, but the impact is significant.

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THIRD-PARTY BREACH EXPOSES CHATGPT ACCOUNT DETAILS

Petco disclosed a breach that exposed customer data after a software setting left files accessible online. (Photographer: Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What Petco says the breach exposed

According to reports filed with the Texas attorney general’s office, the exposed data included names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account details, credit or debit card numbers and dates of birth. Filings in California, Massachusetts and Montana confirm additional affected residents.

In California, companies must report breaches involving at least 500 state residents. Petco did not disclose the exact number, which suggests the real total is higher. For context, Petco said in 2022 that it served more than 24 million customers.

Petco says the company sent notifications to individuals whose information was involved. The sample notice released by the California attorney general explains that a software setting allowed certain files to be accessible online. Petco says it removed those files, corrected the setting and added new security measures.

The company is offering free credit and identity theft monitoring to victims in California, Massachusetts and Montana. It is not clear if similar support is being offered to affected Texas residents.

We reached out to Petco for comment, and a representative provided CyberGuy with the following statement,

“We recently identified a setting in one of our applications which inadvertently made certain Petco files accessible online. Upon identifying the issue, we took immediate steps to correct the error and began an investigation. We notified individuals whose information was involved and continue to monitor for further issues. We take this incident seriously. To help prevent something like this from happening again, we have taken and will continue to take steps to enhance the security of our network.”

What this breach means for you

A breach that exposes government IDs, financial numbers and birth dates creates long-term risks. Criminals use this mix of information to open accounts, take over existing ones or try to pass identity checks. Even if no fraud happens right away, exposed data can sit in criminal markets for years.

Ways to stay safe after a breach like this

You can take several steps today that help lower your risk and protect your identity going forward.

1) Place a credit freeze

A freeze blocks new credit accounts in your name. It also stops criminals from opening loans or credit cards with your stolen information. You can freeze your credit for free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

2) Add two more freezes

Two additional freezes cover accounts that do not run through the major credit bureaus. Freeze ChexSystems to stop criminals from opening checking or savings accounts. Freeze NCTUE to block fake phone, cable or utility accounts.

3) Turn on account alerts

Set up alerts for banking, credit cards and online shopping accounts. Alerts help you spot suspicious activity fast.

4) Use a password manager

Strong passwords protect you from credential stuffing attacks. This happens when criminals take stolen passwords from one breach and try them on other sites. A password manager creates unique passwords for every account and helps you stop those attacks before they start.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our #1 password manager (see Cyberguy.com) pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com

5) Monitor your identity

If Petco offered you free identity theft monitoring, enroll as soon as possible. It helps you catch fraud that can happen months or years later.

Identity Theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number, and email address, and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals.

See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com

WHY YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING DATA NEEDS A CLEANUP NOW

State filings show Petco customers had Social Security and financial information exposed in the breach. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

6) Remove exposed personal data

Data broker sites collect and share personal details that fuel scams. Removing your information reduces your exposure and makes you a harder target.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com

WHY SCAMMERS OPEN BANK ACCOUNTS IN YOUR NAME

Petco says it corrected the software issue and notified individuals whose information was compromised. (Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

7) Watch for phishing and use strong antivirus software

Scammers often follow a breach with emails or texts that look real. Slow down and check every message before you click. A strong antivirus helps block malicious links and alerts you when something looks risky.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

Kurt’s key takeaways

Data breaches happen often, but this one involves information that can cause lasting harm. You can protect yourself with a few quick steps that reduce the chance of fraud and limit how far criminals can get with your data.

How much trust do you place in companies to protect your personal information? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Kindle app now answers questions about the book you’re reading

Published

20 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Kindle app now answers questions about the book you’re reading

Amazon has launched a new AI feature in the Kindle app that gives spoiler-free answers to questions about the book you’re reading and confirmed that authors can’t opt out from the feature.

The company calls Ask this Book an “expert reading assistant” in its announcement and says that it’s capable of answering questions about “plot details, character relationships, and thematic elements,” all while avoiding spoilers by limiting its answers to content from the pages you’ve read so far. It’s essentially an in-book chatbot, accessible from the book menu or by highlighting a passage of text you want to ask about.

Amazon spokesperson Ale Iraheta told Publishers Lunch that the answers are “non-shareable and non-copyable” and only available to readers who’ve purchased or rented books. Iraheta also said that the feature is always on, noting that “there is no option for authors or publishers to opt titles out.”