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NJ could have the world’s cleanest AI | Opinion
New Jersey recently rolled out a $500 million tax incentive to make the Garden State a leader in the artificial intelligence industry. This tax credit is the centerpiece of an effort by Gov. Murphy to leverage the tremendous economic potential of this growing technology.
While we applaud the governor’s efforts to position New Jersey at the forefront of technological change, the energy-intensive nature of this industry demands we couple AI advancements and infrastructure with Gov. Murphy’s 100% clean-electricity economy, creating the cleanest AI in perhaps the world.
If we don’t, then the new AI sector will find itself relying on dirty fossil fuels for power — and we’ll find ourselves breathing in the toxic fumes, wiping out hard-fought gains in the effort to clean our air and fight climate change.
In 2021, Gov. Murphy set an ambitious goal to transition New Jersey to 100% clean electricity by 2035. Over the last few years, the state Board of Public Utilities has moved ahead with implementing an energy master plan designed to achieve that goal supporting the transition to clean, renewable energy sources, like solar and offshore wind.
But AI is an incredibly energy-intensive industry that requires massive amounts of power and in some cases water to run the server farms and data centers needed for complex computer software. All that power has to come from somewhere. If it’s not coming from clean sources, it’s going to come from burning more dirty fossil fuels.
The International Energy Agency estimated that data-center electricity consumption for cryptocurrency and AI was 2% of worldwide energy demand in 2022, with the demand expected to double to 1,000 terawatt-hours for these uses by 2026. If projections are accurate, this would constitute the same electricity usage as a country the size of Japan.
The effort to scale the industry has even led companies like Google and Microsoft to retract or revisit previous commitments to carbon neutrality. The painful truth is that becoming an industry leader in generative AI could easily jeopardize public health and our fight against climate change.
Powering a new AI industry with dirty fossil fuels would take New Jersey backward at a time when our state is already seeing the devastating impacts of climate change. Preventing this outcome requires that we meet the moment that history demands and execute our bold clean electricity goals.
While the current administration is fully committed to achieving 100% clean electricity by 2035, the reality is the next governor can come into office and rip up the state’s clean-energy goals.
If that happens, then the new AI server farms that will be constructed across our state will be powered by dirty fossil fuels that pollute our air — particularly in Black and brown communities where residents already disproportionately suffer from asthma, heart disease and cancer. Every county in New Jersey suffers from air pollution, according to the American Lung Association, and with clean energy powering our homes and businesses we can improve air quality across the state.
We need to ensure that New Jersey’s AI revolution is powered by clean energy sources like solar and offshore wind.
To do that, the Legislature must enshrine Gov. Murphy’s clean-energy goals into law.
This legislation will ensure that New Jersey achieves its 100% clean-electricity goals regardless of who the next governor is.
And it will help maximize the number of jobs created thanks to the AI boom because it will ensure that a portion of the increased electricity demand will be met by new in-state clean energy sources built by union labor.
New Jersey has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build the economy of the future while powering it with clean electricity that creates union jobs, provides relief to overburdened communities suffering from dirty fossil fuel pollution, establishes energy independence and combats climate change.
It’s time to lead the world with clean AI and cement Gov. Murphy’s legacy by passing a 100% clean-electricity bill in this legislative session.