\n<\/p>\n
Researchers warn that U.S. data centers could devour vast amounts of energy and water unless stronger guardrails shape the industry\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n
When Cornell University systems engineer Fengqi You started modeling the environmental footprint of data centers three years ago, the A.I. boom was just beginning. Even then, You and his colleagues noticed something missing from the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we started this, we saw that A.I. was growing very fast,\u201d You said. \u201cIt was clear it would have to be aligned with power-grid planning, with water and other resource planning. There were no discussions about these topics \u2014 but we wanted to bring real numbers, rigorous analysis on A.I.\u2019s physical footprints.\u201d<\/p>\n
You and his team\u2019s new paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, delivers those numbers \u2014 and they\u2019re enormous. Depending on how fast the A.I. industry expands, the authors predict U.S. data centers could annually consume as much water as 10 million Americans and emit as much carbon dioxide as 10 million cars. Those estimates put the annual resource consumption of the A.I. industry in the range of the entire state of New York.<\/p>\n
Despite the sobering forecast, You and his fellow researchers are optimistic about the possibility of addressing the issue of data centers through sound policy. The report highlights the necessity of decarbonizing the electrical grid, improving energy and water usage efficiency inside data centers and moving the A.I. industry to areas of the country better suited to its sustainable development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still early in this growth, it\u2019s in our hands now,\u201d You said. \u201cIt\u2019s not too late yet to do the planning and accounting for resource constraints that could let A.I. continue to grow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study highlights that from one state to the next, the environmental cost of A.I. looks radically different. It breaks down grid mixes and water resources state by state to show how the data center boom will affect various parts of the country differently and outlines policy suggestions that can mitigate its impact.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s densest data center hub remains Northern Virginia\u2019s \u201cdata center alley\u201d outside of Washington, D.C., where the industry clustered itself over decades because of tax breaks, fiber infrastructure, and proximity to federal agencies. Now that the demand for data center construction is exploding, You warns that Northern Virginia \u201cwon\u2019t have enough resources to support the growth of the A.I. industry in a sustainable way, there are too many constraints in terms of energy and water.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report projects that through 2030, Northern Virginia will continue to be the dominant location for data center construction, despite the area\u2019s resource constraints. That\u2019s why, You argues, policymakers need to be pushing companies now to start looking away from Northern Virginia and toward states with more sustainable prospects for the A.I. boom.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key point we\u2019re trying to make is that for the new projects, we have a chance to decide right now,\u201d You said. \u201cAnd we need to think about somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study points to Midwestern states in particular, where water availability and the potential for renewable energy infrastructure could help mitigate the strain that data center construction exerts on resources and emissions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStates like Texas, Montana, Nebraska, for instance, they have enough water supply and have good targets for getting clean energy and sufficient power supply,\u201d You said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
By redirecting A.I. infrastructure to these regions, the researchers argue, the U.S. could sharply reduce the environmental impact of the industry without a major slowdown in its growth.<\/p>\n
The paper\u2019s findings arrive amid escalating alarm over A.I.\u2019s growing appetite for electricity and resources. With utilities rushing to build new gas-fired power plants in order to support the power demands of A.I. projects, environmental experts have warned that data centers could upend progress toward reigning in emissions.<\/p>\n
A report released last month by the Center for Biological Diversity estimated that, if current trends continue, data centers in the United States could account for nearly half of all emissions from the power sector that current national climate targets would allow. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The report warned that \u201cbecause of expected fossil fuel\u2013reliant AA data center growth, all other electricity-consuming sectors would need to increase their carbon-emissions cuts by 60%\u201d in order to still meet the United States\u2019 2035 climate target.<\/p>\n
Jean Su, one of the report\u2019s authors, told ICN that despite the current obsession with A.I., \u201cunfettered data center growth is not an inevitability.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnology optimists are saying A.I. is going to solve the climate emergency and cure cancer,\u201d Su said. \u201cBut the way to actually resolve the climate emergency is to phase out fossil fuels. Scientists have already told us how to do it, we don\u2019t need A.I., we just need political will.\u201d<\/p>\n
But political headwinds in the U.S. are blowing in the opposite direction, with President Donald Trump gutting renewable energy projects and vocally championing the use of coal and gas. \u201cProjections show that data centers are going to be powered by fracked gas through 2035,\u201d Su said, \u201cand that\u2019s in the political interest of the president and in the interest of the fracked gas industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Su stressed that the public interest needs to become part of the conversation around data center construction, with residents given the opportunity to weigh in on whether new projects in their home states will actually benefit them.<\/p>\n
You\u2019s study shows that the Biden administration\u2019s 2035 climate goals \u2014 slashing greenhouse gas emissions across the economy and transitioning the U.S. power sector away from carbon pollution entirely \u2014 remain technically achievable, but only if A.I. infrastructure aligns with major policy changes. The authors point to the need for tighter regulation, greater transparency and A.I.-specific benchmarks for energy and water usage, not unlike fuel efficiency standards for vehicles. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The study adds to a growing body of reports which emphasize how the next few years will be crucial in determining how the A.I. boom affects climate issues in the United States. According to Su, the country must decide who this new technology will truly serve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t let billionaire corporations dictate policy while the rest of us pay the price,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to ask what\u2019s actually in the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Carl David Goette-Luciak, Inside Climate News<\/p>\n
A.I. Is Quietly Powering a Revolution in Weather Prediction<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Researchers warn that U.S. data centers could devour vast amounts of energy and water unless stronger guardrails shape the industry\u2019s growth. When Cornell University systems engineer Fengqi You started modeling the environmental footprint of data centers three years ago, the A.I. boom was just beginning. Even then, You and his colleagues noticed something missing from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[540,1805,10029,1111,7155,1305,811,1183],"class_list":{"0":"post-34141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-americans","9":"tag-centers","10":"tag-consume","11":"tag-data","12":"tag-decades","13":"tag-million","14":"tag-u-s","15":"tag-water"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/34142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}