AI Data Centers And The Environment
What to know about the resources AI data centers use
Do AI data centers use a lot of water?
Yes, about 5 million gallons of clean residential water a day to cool servers and equipment — the same amount used by a medium-size town, according to the nonprofit Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Some centers have close-loop systems that use recycled water, but even those consume massive amounts: It could take an entire bottle, for instance, to answer one question posed to AI.
What about electricity?
The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health has warned that the energy required for data centers can overwhelm local electrical grids. Power bills are already rising as a result. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s most recent report, data centers use 4.5 percent of U.S. electricity — but that could grow to as much as 15 percent.
What are the pollution risks?
The waste generated by AI infrastructure can expose communities to hazardous substances, equivalent to disposing 250 Eiffel Towers’ worth of lead and toxic chemicals annually by 2030, according to a UN University report. Data centers have also been criticized for intolerable noise pollution. Environmental activist Erin Brockovich says, “Once they’re up and running, we’re seeing the wildlife’s gone, the cattle aren’t breeding, and there’s discolored water.”
– K.C. Baker
Author: Admin
This author has published 1964 articles so far. More info about the author is coming soon.