The head of the Kurchatov Institute called the lack of energy the main barrier to AI

Brief retelling from RIA II

The main barrier to the development of artificial intelligence in the world is the lack of energy capacity.

To increase energy production, it is necessary to develop nuclear technologies, in particular mobile nuclear plants and low-power plants.

Along with the growth in generation, it is necessary to move to a nature-like type of energy consumption.

MOSCOW, August 16 - RIA Novosti. The main barrier to the development of artificial intelligence in the world is the lack of energy capacity - that is why European countries and the United States are trying to revive nuclear technologies, Mikhail Kovalchuk, president of the National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to the scientist, automated control systems have been known since the times of the USSR, but they did not develop into artificial intelligence, since there were no computers with the necessary power and speed for processing large databases.

“Today they have appeared. For example, you collect data from a million people suffering from one disease, their genomes. And then you need to analyze them to determine who has a predisposition to a particular disease. But when you collect these databases and then use them, the integrated circuits in the computer generate gigantic amounts of heat,” Kovalchuk explained.

“Therefore, today the whole issue of the development of artificial intelligence rests on energy. In fact, AI is sublimated electricity,” said the head of the Kurchatov Institute.

However, when the world took the path of creating large language models, no one thought about this, Kovalchuk recalled. “And today it’s not for nothing that the Germans are discussing the issue of correcting their mistakes, thinking about defrosting mothballed nuclear power plants, if this is still possible. And the Americans are pulling out developments from all corners that relate to “portable” nuclear plants,” he noted.

There are two solutions to get out of this situation, Kovalchuk believes. Firstly, it is necessary to increase energy production; in fact, there is only one way for this - the development of nuclear technologies. “And first of all, mobile nuclear power plants and low-power stations, where we are ahead of the rest,” the scientist said.