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Ex-Google CEO says superintelligence is tech’s holy grail—but the U.S. is ill-equipped to address its ‘natural limit’

July 18, 2025
11:05 AM
4 min read
AI Enhanced
moneyfinancialtechnologyenergymarket cyclesseasonal analysiseconomic

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Superintelligence is why some of the biggest names in tech, including Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman, are warring over AI talent.

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4 min read

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investment

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Published

July 18, 2025

11:05 AM

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Fortune

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moneyfinancialtechnologyenergymarket cyclesseasonal analysiseconomic

What's fascinating this is AI·Eric SchmidtEx-Google CEO says superintelligence is ’s holy grail—but the U

Is ill-equipped to address its ‘natural limit’By Dave SmithBy Dave SmithEditor, U

NewsDave SmithEditor, U, in today's market environment

However, Conversely, NewsDave Smith is a writer and editor who previously has been published in Insider, Newsweek, ABC News, and USA TODAY

SEE FULL BIO Eric Schmidt, billionaire and co-founder of Schmidt Sciences, at the Raise summit in Paris, France, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 (this bears monitoring)

Additionally, Nathan Laine / Bloomberg—Getty ImagesAI is all the rage right now, but the next major step for artificial intelligence is superintelligence (noteworthy indeed), in light of current trends

That’s what some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley are pouring billions of dollars into

On the other hand, And Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive from 2001 to 2011, said the biggest challenge in achieving and utilizing superintelligence will be having enough electricity to power it all

On the other hand, It seems every company under the sun these days is leveraging, in, or using AI in some way or another

What the re reveals is value of artificial intelligence—automating repetitive tasks, boosting efficiency, and solving extremely complex blems—has Wall Street salivating

But it’s superintelligence, not just AI, that has Silicon Valley atwitter—and it’s why some of the biggest companies, including Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Sam Altman’s OpenAI, are warring over AI talent

All the dominant players want to be the first to build intelligence that “greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest,” according to University of Oxford reer Nick Bostrom’s book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, in today's market environment

Furthermore, “Superintelligence is intelligence beyond the sum of all humans,” Eric Schmidt, former CEO and chairman of Google, wrote in a LinkedIn post Thursday

Meanwhile, “It's reasonable to predict that we are going to have specialized AI savants in every field within five years (this bears monitoring)

Now imagine their capabilities and how they will change society and our day-to-day s

Moreover, ” Schmidt, who spoke with Peter Diamandis and Dave Blundin in a new episode of their Moonshots podcast published Thursday, spoke the most complex limiting factor (remarkable data) (which is quite significant)

However, Hint: It’s not money—and it’s not semiconductors, either

Moreover, “AI’s natural limit is electricity, not chips,” Schmidt said (an important development), in today's financial world

Is currently expected to need another 92 gigawatts of power to support the AI revolution

For reference, one gigawatt is roughly the equivalent of one nu power station

Right now, there are essentially none of these facilities being built, and in the last 30 years, only two have been constructed,” he added

Additionally, Silicon Valley giants are working to resurrect and retrofit old power plants to help power their AI needs (noteworthy indeed)

Nevertheless, Microsoft, for one, struck a 20-year power purchase agreement with Constellation Energy to restart Three Mile Island, which closed in 2019, targeting a relaunch in 2028

But even now, Microsoft is using a ton of resources for AI: In its environmental report, the Windows maker said it increased its water use between 2021 and 2022 by 34%, to around 1. 7 billion gallons, which outside experts largely tied to AI, given the current landscape

At the same time, And reers believe global AI workloads may use 4 (remarkable data)

Nevertheless, 6 billion cubic meters of water by 2027—enough to fill anywhere from 1. 6 million Olympic-sized swimming pools

Moreover, However, Put another way, that’s enough water to supply the entire population of Canada for more than a year, in today's financial world

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said last year an energy breakthrough “is essential for AI’s future, amid market uncertainty

However, ” (Altman, for what it’s worth, has personally invested in Helion, a startup working on nu fusion, and backed its 2028 pilot plant

Moreover, ) In May, companies Microsoft and AMD urged U

Senators to fast-track permits to avoid wearing down the grid due to AI’s high-energy demands

Critics Greenpeace say at the current rate, AI usage risks derailing national and global climate goals

Moreover, “We don’t know what AI will der, and we certainly don’t know what superintelligence will bring, but we know that it is coming fast,” Schmidt said. “We need to plan ahead to ensure we have the energy needed to meet the many opportunities and challenges that AI puts before us. ” You can watch Schmidt’s full conversation with Diamandis and Blundin what artificial superintelligence might actually look here

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In contrast, Explore this year's list, in today's market environment.