India, Oct. 27 -- Every question we often ask an AI system carries a hidden cost. Behind the digital magic of chatbots, image generators and predictive models, a quiet physical process unfolds - one that consumes vast amounts of energy and produces enormous heat. In the age

of artificial intelligence, thinking is no longer a metaphor. It's thermodynamics and it matters a lot.

When we say that AI ''learns,'' what we mean is that billions of processors are performing mathematical operations, each powered by electricity. Those chips run hot. They must be cooled constantly. Every bit of information processed generates heat - a direct result of physics, not inefficiency.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global data centre...