Electricity gap by 2050 – and we keep building AI / data centres?

SRF reports two things at the same time:

• Data centres already consume 6–8% of Switzerland’s electricity today, with 10–15% by 2030 considered realistic.

• At the same time, electricity producers warn of a supply gap by 2050 (VSE index: 69 out of 100 points).

Now asked in a typically Bünzli way:

• If electricity is going to become scarce in the future, why are we prioritising data centres and AI of all things?

Not hospitals, not public transport, not households – but server halls for AI brainrot, advertising and content spam?

• Who bears the risk?

The profits are private, while grid expansion, the winter gap and supply security are paid for by all of us.

• Why are there rules for everything – except here?

Minergie standards for buildings, regulations for heating systems, CO₂ targets everywhere.
But data centres are allowed to keep growing, while producers simultaneously warn of electricity shortages.

Serious question:

Is it really sensible, in the face of foreseeable electricity scarcity, to reserve a double-digit percentage of our electricity supply for this – or do we finally need clear priorities?

Salopp, I would suggest a separate power grid for data centres, including their own power plants (as with SBB), staggered according to priority in the event of a power failure. Hospital records, etc. would take priority over AI generation for Facebook, etc.

Sources:

https://www.srf.ch/news/dialog/energie-fuer-die-digitale-welt-hohe-dichte-an-rechenzentren-bringt-schweizer-stromnetz-ans-limit

https://www.srf.ch/news/wirtschaft/geht-uns-der-strom-aus-stromproduzenten-warnen-vor-versorgungsluecke-bis-2050