- China is spending $1 billion to buy 8,500 new robots
- These devices will inspect and maintain its electricity grid
- Meanwhile, a new report says the US’s grid is creaking at the seams
Right now, the world seems to be obsessed with the chatbot flavor of artificial intelligence (AI). But what about that other kind of AI: robotics? Well, China isn’t waiting to find out what happens here, as a new report has detailed how the country plans to run its power grid using the power of robots.
According to the South China Morning Post, the Chinese government plans to buy thousands of robots this year, all of which will be put to work in various ways on the nation’s infrastructure. That includes devices that can carry out inspection and maintenance tasks, including those at remote or dangerous locations.
The report adds that the State Grid Corporation of China has set aside 6.8 billion yuan (about $1 billion) to purchase AI-powered robots for the project. That’ll be enough to provide around 8,500 devices.
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That includes 5,000 robotic dogs, which will be sent to “inspect substations and transmission lines, as well as other facilities located in mountainous terrain,” the report says. The rest will be made up by “humanoid and dual-arm robots” which will be sent out to “perform more high-stakes tasks, including maintaining the country’s rapidly expanding ultra-high-voltage power grid.”
US faces ‘slower economic growth’
In contrast to the news from China, the New York Times put out a detailed report just yesterday raising the alarm about the state of the US’s electricity infrastructure.
The article claims that “Our grid is too old and our supply of electricity too small,” and if something isn’t done by the government, US citizens “will face an impoverished future of more expensive, less reliable energy, and slower economic growth.”
The two reports from the South China Morning Post and the New York Times address related but different issues — namely, the former shows China focusing on inspection and maintenance, while the latter argues that the US needs a full-scale renovation of its power grid.
But the contrast neatly illustrates the sort of decisions the US government is going to be faced with as electricity usage vastly increases in the coming years, and the rise will be felt particularly strongly in areas where AI data centers have begun operating.
With aging infrastructure, growing populations and a larger role for AI in daily life, countries across the world will soon need to contend with increasing strain on their electrical grids. As the New York Times puts it, “Electricity is perhaps the most underrated issue of our time.”
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