Energy And Electrons: Could They Become Currency In A Decade? What Nikhil Kamath Says
Last Updated:
Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath predicts energy and electrons could become trade currency in a decade due to rising data center and AI energy consumption.
Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has shared a thought-provoking idea based on research with a lingering assumption that energy and electrons might be the currency of trade in a decade. In a series of tweets, he shared the infographics explaining the research, highlighting the growing financial footprint of data centers and artificial intelligence.
The electricity consumption in data centers is insane, with one new Data center consuming more electricity than 4 lakh electric vehicles in a year. Thus, the research says, electricity alone eats up 65 per cent of a data center's costs – primarily for computing and cooling.
Data centers are large facilities that store, process, and manage digital data. They are the backbone of the internet and digital services—every time you use a website, stream a video, store files in the cloud, or make a bank transaction, chances are it passes through a data center.
US is the leader with the most number of data centers (3680), followed by Germany (424) and UK (418). India ranks seventh in the number of 262 data centers.
The more servers the data center has, the more energy it requires.
Earlier, OpenAI founder Sam Altman explained how the words like please and thank you cost the company tens of millions of dollars.
The research adds that one ChatGPT query uses 10x the electricity of a regular Google search.
Data Centers To Consume 10% Of Global Energy By 2030
The research shows that data centers' consumption of energy is expected to grow to 10 per cent by 2030, which is 1.5 per cent of global energy.
'Just 5% of global internet searches using AI could consume enough energy to power over 1 million Indian homes for a year."
Energy To Become Asset
Kamath's idea is rooted in an emerging economic paradigm: as the demand for electricity grows, energy becomes a critical and tradable asset—much like money. If energy is as essential as cash in powering AI, streaming services, financial systems, and cloud operations, pricing and trading electricity akin to currency could be the next step.
This concept isn't just futuristic—it carries real-world relevance. Companies might begin to hedge not only currency risk but also energy risk. Imagine supermarkets trading kilowatt-hours or data centers using energy derivatives in a similar fashion to forex trading. Over time, energy tokens or blockchain-based credits for electrons could emerge, giving rise to a sophisticated energy-backed financial ecosystem.
If this shift happens, economies would have to rethink everything from inflation metrics to banking, as 'energy currency" could fundamentally alter how value is transferred and stored—making energy both a means and a measure of wealth.
About the Author
Varun Yadav
First Published:
June 08, 2025, 15:03 IST
News business Energy And Electrons: Could They Become Currency In A Decade? What Nikhil Kamath Says
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chinese hackers, user lapses turn smartphones into 'mobile security crisis'
Cybersecurity investigators noticed a highly unusual software crash - it was affecting a small number of smartphones belonging to people who worked in government, politics, tech and crashes, which began late last year and carried into 2025, were the tipoff to a sophisticated cyberattack that may have allowed hackers to infiltrate a phone without a single click from the attackers left no clues about their identities, but investigators at the cybersecurity firm iVerify noticed that the victims all had something in common: They worked in fields of interest to China's government and had been targeted by Chinese hackers in the past. Foreign hackers have increasingly identified smartphones, other mobile devices and the apps they use as a weak link in US cyberdefences. Groups linked to China's military and intelligence service have targeted the smartphones of prominent Americans and burrowed deep into telecommunication networks, according to national security and tech experts. It shows how vulnerable mobile devices and apps are and the risk that security failures could expose sensitive information or leave American interests open to cyberattack, those experts say. "The world is in a mobile security crisis right now," said Rocky Cole, a former cybersecurity expert at the National Security Agency and Google and now chief operations officer at iVerify. "No one is watching the phones." US zeroes in on China as a threat, and Beijing levels its own accusations US authorities warned in December of a sprawling Chinese hacking campaign designed to gain access to the texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. "They were able to listen in on phone calls in real time and able to read text messages," said Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. He is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the senior Democrat on the Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, created to study the geopolitical threat from China. Chinese hackers also sought access to phones used by Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance during the 2024 campaign. The Chinese government has denied allegations of cyberespionage, and accused the US of mounting its own cyberoperations. It says America cites national security as an excuse to issue sanctions against Chinese organizations and keep Chinese technology companies from the global market. "The US has long been using all kinds of despicable methods to steal other countries' secrets," Lin Jian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said at a recent press conference in response to questions about a CIA push to recruit Chinese informants. US intelligence officials have said China poses a significant, persistent threat to US economic and political interests, and it has harnessed the tools of digital conflict: online propaganda and disinformation, artificial intelligence and cyber surveillance and espionage designed to deliver a significant advantage in any military conflict. Mobile networks are a top concern. The US and many of its closest allies have banned Chinese telecom companies from their networks. Other countries, including Germany, are phasing out Chinese involvement because of security concerns. But Chinese tech firms remain a big part of the systems in many nations, giving state-controlled companies a global footprint they could exploit for cyberattacks, experts say. Chinese telecom firms still maintain some routing and cloud storage systems in the US - a growing concern to lawmakers. "The American people deserve to know if Beijing is quietly using state-owned firms to infiltrate our critical infrastructure," US Rep John Moolenaar, R-Mich. and chairman of the China committee, which in April issued subpoenas to Chinese telecom companies seeking information about their U.S. operations. Mobile devices have become an intel treasure trove Mobile devices can buy stocks, launch drones and run power plants. Their proliferation has often outpaced their security. The phones of top government officials are especially valuable, containing sensitive government information, passwords and an insider's glimpse into policy discussions and decision-making. The White House said last week that someone impersonating Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, reached out to governors, senators and business leaders with texts and phone calls. It's unclear how the person obtained Wiles' connections, but they apparently gained access to the contacts in her personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles' number, the newspaper reported. While most smartphones and tablets come with robust security, apps and connected devices often lack these protections or the regular software updates needed to stay ahead of new threats. That makes every fitness tracker, baby monitor or smart appliance another potential foothold for hackers looking to penetrate networks, retrieve information or infect systems with malware. Federal officials launched a program this year creating a "cyber trust mark" for connected devices that meet federal security standards. But consumers and officials shouldn't lower their guard, said Snehal Antani, former chief technology officer for the Pentagon 's Joint Special Operations Command. "They're finding backdoors in Barbie dolls," said Antani, now CEO of a cybersecurity firm, referring to concerns from researchers who successfully hacked the microphone of a digitally connected version of the toy. Risks emerge when smartphone users don't take precautions It doesn't matter how secure a mobile device is if the user doesn't follow basic security precautions, especially if their device contains classified or sensitive information, experts say. Mike Waltz, who departed as Trump's national security adviser, inadvertently added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief to a Signal chat used to discuss military plans with other top officials. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon's security protocols set up in his office so he could use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, the AP has reported. Hegseth has rejected assertions that he shared classified information on Signal, a popular encrypted messaging app not approved for the use of communicating classified information. China and other nations will try to take advantage of such lapses, and national security officials must take steps to prevent them from recurring, said Michael Williams, a national security expert at Syracuse University . "They all have access to a variety of secure communications platforms," Williams said. "We just can't share things willy-nilly." (AP)
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
US trade team extends India stay as talks gather momentum
A US trade team that's currently in India for negotiations has extended its stay, according to people familiar with the matter, in a sign talks are progressing ahead of a July deadline. The team, which was initially scheduled to hold talks with Indian officials on June 5-6, will now be staying till Tuesday to continue discussions, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isn't public. Most of the issues may get finalized within a week, the people estimated. India and the US are working on a phased trade deal with an early agreement targeted for July, the deadline for implementation of the so-called reciprocal tariffs. At the same time, those tariffs are facing legal challenges in Washington. India's Commerce Ministry and the US Trade Representative's office in Washington didn't respond to email requests for comment outside of regular business hours. Local Indian media earlier reported the extension of the visit. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal described his meeting with US counterpart Howard Lutnick during a visit to the US in May as 'constructive.' Earlier this month, Lutnick said he's 'very optimistic' about prospects for a trade deal between the US and India 'in the not-too-distant future.' India was one of the first countries to begin negotiating a trade deal with the US, hoping to avert President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs, which are scheduled to kick in on July 9. The talks come against the backdrop of recent statements by Goyal in Paris on June 1, where he outlined that India and the United States are working toward providing preferential market access to their respective businesses. On Trump's plan to increase tariffs on steel and aluminium to 50%, Goyal told ANI that both countries remain committed to addressing trade issues through bilateral dialogue. "Let us wait and watch... both the US and India share good relations and we will continue to work together to resolve all these issues bilaterally," Goyal said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
From 1,447 applications to 4 offers: Techie stuck in wrong role reveals how he found his dream job with a 150% hike. Reddit applauds
If you've ever felt trapped in a job that doesn't reflect your ambitions, this story might hit home. One Indian techie—stuck in a monotonous support role despite dreams of working in analytics—took to Reddit 's r/developersIndia to bare it all. His post, titled '1.5 Years, 1447 Applications, 22 Interviews, 4 Offers,' is more than just numbers—it's a story of frustration, resilience, and hope. Coming from a core engineering background with minimal coding experience, he, like many others during the pandemic, landed in IT through sheer circumstance. A support project gave him a stable paycheck but no growth. 'No development, no learning. Just tickets and SQL queries,' he wrote. If you've felt your career stalling despite your potential, you'll understand the helplessness. The Learning Wasn't Enough Determined to break into analytics, he began upskilling—Power BI, Excel, SQL, Python. He built projects, crafted a strong resume, and still—no calls. Why? Recruiters couldn't look past his 'support engineer' title. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like I lost my wife, now my son is in danger, please help him! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo That's when the breakthrough came. 'I realised I had to repackage my existing experience to showcase what I was actually capable of,' he said. He rebuilt his resume with domain-relevant projects and started aligning his work to reflect transferable skills. Slowly, interview calls trickled in. But there was another beast waiting: the interviews themselves. Rejections That Burn, Lessons That Stick Despite a resume that scored over 90 on ATS systems, his first few interviews were crushing. One interviewer even asked if he had actually worked on the projects he mentioned. He began to spiral, questioning everything. You Might Also Like: Too 'founder-y' to hire, not corporate enough to fit in: Former startup owner's candid job hunt post strikes a chord on Reddit But here's the part that makes this story worth telling: he didn't quit. 'I started treating every interview like a free mock,' he said. He used ChatGPT to simulate questions, asked friends who had cracked interviews, and practiced until the nerves turned into clarity. Bit by bit, the interviews stopped being terrifying. His answers became sharp. His confidence, visible. And finally, the offers started coming in—four of them. One brought a life-changing 150% salary hike. Hard Truths To Learn He doesn't sugarcoat the struggle. He talks openly about how networking (not job portals) brought him all his offers. That his 90-day notice period cost him real opportunities. That yes, at times, he even considered pretending to have a medical emergency just to get an early release. 'Keep that as a last option,' he adds. He also emphasizes that practice beats perfection. Whether it was refining his story, crafting a resume that told a narrative, or simply learning how to explain his own projects, everything boiled down to showing—not just telling—what he could do. You Might Also Like: Can frequent job changes hurt your career growth? Employee shares his major career regrets on Reddit Why This Story Resonated So Deeply His post didn't just get attention—it got applause. Reddit users poured in with comments like, 'Your journey is inspiring,' and 'I just switched from Instagram to Reddit and don't regret it after reading this.' Because in a world where job anxiety, rejection fatigue, and imposter syndrome run rampant, here was someone saying: Yes, it's hard. Yes, you'll want to give up. But no, you're not alone—and it is possible. 'Jobs Don't Come to You. You Chase Them.' That line, towards the end of his post, sums up the spirit of this journey. Whether you're just starting out, trying to pivot into a new domain, or deep in your own cycle of applications and rejections—his story is a reminder that progress is often invisible until the very last step. So if you're reading this while dreading another day in a job that doesn't reflect who you are, remember: the resume isn't everything. The title on your current contract doesn't define your future. And sometimes, the grind pays off in the most unexpected ways.
