Tamar Eilam

She’s Making AI More Eco-Friendly

As an IBM Fellow, Tamar Eilam has been working to make computing more sustainable for more than a decade, but the goal is even more urgent in the age of AI. (It takes nearly 10 times as much electricity to process one ChatGPT query than it does a Google search, meaning data center power demand will grow 160% by 2030.) The Israeli American computer scientist is part of the team working on Kepler, an open-source solution that quantifies computing tasks so companies can understand how much cloud workload they’re using in efforts to consume less energy and emit less carbon. (The project was named one of Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas, and SoftBank began utilizing the power monitoring capabilities this year.) She’s also helping IBM identify where there are forever chemicals in AI chips so the company can accelerate the discovery of new materials to replace them. Internally, she advises teams on ways to use AI more efficiently, by improving input data and prompts, and ensures the company’s clients are using right-sized AI for their needs.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo