AXIOS (Amy Harder) - The AI boom tests the limits of growth
Electricity demand is becoming the clearest measure of the AI industry's extraordinary expansion — and a test of how long that pace can last. Why it matters: The industry's pursuit of ever-larger models is fueling debate over whether they will deliver enough value to justify mounting environmental and financial costs. Driving the news: Google, Microsoft and Amazon all highlighted improved energy and water efficiency in sustainability reports released in recent weeks. - But those gains are being overwhelmed by overall growth. Stunning stat: Google's electricity consumption rose more than 140% between 2021 and 2025 — already exceeding the outer bounds of projected growth modeled in a 2023 paper by Alex de Vries-Gao, a researcher at…