Latest news with #JánosÁder
Budapest Times
12-08-2025
- Business
- Budapest Times
János Áder: AI-driven power demand could double within five years
Former President János Áder warned that the rapid spread of artificial intelligence could cause global electricity demand to double within five years. Speaking on his Kék bolygó podcast with energy engineer and university dean Attila Aszódi, Áder linked the surge to the already growing summer consumption from widespread air conditioning use. Aszódi explained that Hungary's energy use is undergoing electrification across heating, transport, and industry, erasing the gap between winter and summer peak demand. He stressed the role of solar power, now with over 7,000 MW capacity in Hungary, but noted that optimal use requires aligning consumption with production. Maintaining a stable 3,000 MW base load, he said, demands a balanced energy mix regardless of season or weather. On climate goals, Aszódi stated bluntly: 'Without nuclear energy, the two-degree target is hopeless.' Nuclear already provides about 20% of electricity in developed countries and is the largest carbon-neutral source. He cited a COP28 pledge by 30 nations to triple nuclear capacity by 2050, requiring both life extensions for existing plants and an additional 400,000 MW in new reactors, with small modular designs potentially revolutionizing construction times. Turning to IT, Aszódi noted that global data center electricity use is already ten times Hungary's annual consumption and is expected to double in five years, driven largely by AI adoption. He also analysed the April blackout that left 60 million without power in Portugal and much of Spain, calling it a reminder of the critical importance of supply security in interconnected grids.
Budapest Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Budapest Times
Áder: Reversing unfavorable ecological changes should be addressed
The 10th Planet Lens International Photo and Film Festival on Nature Conservation and Sustainability will be held in Veszprem, in central Hungary, between May 15-18. Former Hungarian President János Áder said that, besides problems, ways to reverse unfavorable ecological changes should also be addressed. In the latest episode of his Blue Planet environmental podcast, he discussed the 10th Planet Lens International Photo and Film Festival on Nature Conservation and Sustainability, to be held in Veszprem, in central Hungary, between May 15-18. His guest, Ákos Gózon, the chairman of the festival's jury, said that entries have been made from 45 countries and will be shown in four categories. Those include full-length classic nature and environmental films, animations, short films and in a separate category, titles presenting the treasures of the Carpathian Basin. Gózon noted that the festival will also feature issues further away from home, such as an Indonesian film showing a mother and her child discussing the future or another presenting changes in the Swedish landscape as seen through the eyes of a Hungarian. The main theme of the festival is biodiversity, said Gózon.
