Bill Gates defended the rapid growth of energy consumption caused by AI systems, believing that this technology will eventually offset its significant power consumption. Speaking in London, Gates urged environmentalists and governments not to be overly concerned about the large amount of electricity required to operate new generative AI systems. Large technology companies such as Microsoft are competing to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in building enormous new data centers. Gates said that when technology companies seek new sources of electricity, they will pay a "green premium" or higher price for clean energy, which will help promote the development of clean power.