Energy, water use and pollution of AI and data centers rival most countries
Summary
A United Nations University report says data centers already use as much electricity as some of the world’s largest countries and produce a similar amount of pollution. As artificial intelligence (AI) use grows, their energy use, water consumption, and pollution are expected to double in four years.Key Facts
- In 2023, data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries.
- Data centers caused about 208 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, similar to Argentina’s total emissions.
- Producing this energy for data centers used around 1.2 trillion gallons of water.
- By 2030, data centers will use 935 trillion watt-hours of electricity, nearly 3% of the world’s total.
- If data centers were a country in 2030, they would rank sixth in electricity use.
- Carbon dioxide emissions from data centers are expected to reach nearly 440 million tons by 2030.
- The report highlights energy use but notes even more water is needed to cool these centers.
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