SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah continues to attract interest from AI data centers, state leaders and researchers are exploring how they handle the energy needs those facilities bring.
Dr. Manish Parashar says it’s among the most transformative technologies of our generation, and it is making its mark in Utah.
“It has the potential to have tremendous impact on all aspects of society - economic development, job growth,” said Parashar, who serves as the University of Utah’s Chief AI Officer.
Parashar’s ‘One-U Responsible AI Initiative’ is looking to leverage AI to solve the state’s biggest challenges.
“Such as mental health, air quality, water sustainability, and workforce development,” Parashar said.
But he knows the tech itself poses problems, too.
“Today, AI needs very large data centers and large amounts of reliable power,” said Parashar.
As the state brings in these power-hungry centers, he says their energy demands could be a drain on consumers.
“Energy is our lifeblood,” said Sen. Scott Sandall (R-Tremonton).
Sen. Sandall’s SB 132, just signed by the governor Tuesday, could offer one regulatory solution.
“If you’re over 100 megawatts and you want to connect into the grid, we want you to create an independent contract,” Sen. Sandall said.
Sen. Sandall says his bill provides data centers with power options - while also protecting the rates of ordinary customers.
Parashar tells me this problem may go beyond human solutions. He tells me their team is looking into how they can make AI itself more sustainable.
“AI that is able to provide its capabilities and its powers without requiring so much energy,” said Parashar.
They’re exploring options like creating smarter algorithms, building more efficient computing centers and beyond.
Parashar says it will be crucial to find the balance between policy and technology to allow Utah to lead in this space sustainably.
“That, I think, is where our future is,” Parashar said.
