DOSSIER

TECH

The invisible cost of artificial intelligence for water resources

Artificial intelligence has become part of the daily routine for millions of people. It writes texts, creates images, answers questions, and helps companies automate tasks at an impressive speed. But behind the answers generated in seconds lies a gigantic infrastructure that consumes enormous amounts of energy and natural resources. Among them is a fundamental element for human life and increasingly scarce in various regions of the planet: water.

When a person asks a chatbot a question or requests the creation of a text, the answer seems to appear instantly. However, this process depends on data centers full of servers operating continuously.

These devices generate heat on a large scale. To avoid overheating that could compromise the systems, companies use cooling structures that often depend on large volumes of water.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, estimated that producing a simple text of about 100 words can consume approximately 519 milliliters of water when considering both direct cooling costs and indirect consumption associated with electricity generation.

Although the value seems small in isolation, the situation changes when billions of requests are processed daily worldwide.

The challenge lies precisely in the scale. Each individual interaction represents a tiny fraction of the total consumption, but the sum of millions of users simultaneously utilizing artificial intelligence systems creates a growing demand for water resources.

The processing centers that support modern artificial intelligence operate with thousands of specialized chips working without interruption.

These components can dissipate hundreds of watts of energy each. In large-scale advanced model training operations, tens of thousands of these processors work simultaneously for weeks or months.

All this heat needs to be removed. One of the most widely used methods is evaporative cooling, in which water absorbs the heat produced by the equipment and some of it evaporates into the atmosphere.

According to experts, a significant portion of the water used in these systems is permanently lost during the evaporation process.

The new generation of data centers specifically designed for artificial intelligence also presents characteristics that amplify the problem. These facilities are larger, concentrate more equipment, and operate with thermal densities far superior to those observed in traditional cloud computing structures.

In some cases, the daily water consumption of a single technology complex can rival that of small cities.

The numbers that are worrying researchers...Environmental reports released by large technology companies show a clear trend of increasing water consumption.

In recent years, companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Meta have recorded significant increases in water use in their operations.

Researchers estimate that the global water demand associated with artificial intelligence could reach between 4.2 and 6.6 billion cubic meters per year by 2027.

The numbers are impressive because they are equivalent to the annual water consumption of entire countries. In some projected scenarios, the global AI infrastructure could use a volume close to half of the entire annual water withdrawal of the United Kingdom.

In addition to direct consumption for cooling, there is an even larger component that is often ignored: the water used in generating the electricity that powers the data centers.

Studies indicate that this indirect consumption can exceed several times the amount used directly in cooling systems.

The impact is already appearing in drought-stricken regions...One of the biggest concerns of experts is the location of many of these technological centers.

Several projects are being built in areas that already face water scarcity or prolonged periods of drought. Recent cases involving planned or operational facilities in Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Spain, and southwestern states of the United States have broadened the debate about the use of local resources.

In some of these regions, communities already live with restrictions on water supply while large technological projects seek to guarantee access to aquifers and municipal systems.

Researchers warn that the accelerated expansion of artificial intelligence is happening at a time when global water scarcity is also growing rapidly. International projections indicate that a significant portion of the world's population may face severe water stress by the end of the decade.

By 2030, AI's water use will match the needs of 1.3 billion people while its power use triples that of 650 million, UN University investigation warns...By 2030, the global data centres powering artificial intelligence are projected to consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity. This is nearly triple the combined annual electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria—countries collectively home to more than 650 million people. Their associated water footprint will equal the basic annual domestic water needs of all 1.3 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa, and their land footprint will exceed 14,500 square kilometers, roughly twice the Jakarta metropolitan area, home to more than 32 million people. 

These stark findings are detailed in the new report, Environmental Cost of AI's Energy Use: Carbon, Water and Land Footprints, by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). Researchers have previously warned about the greenhouse gas emissions of data centers before. But the UN scientists now argue that the environmental costs of AI and data centers cannot be understood through carbon emissions alone. In their report, they quantify the carbon, water and land footprints of AI's electricity use across the globe and highlight the big differences between these footprints in the world’s 20 largest data center hubs.

"This report is not a case against artificial intelligence, a technological transformation that is improving the lives of billions of people around the world," said Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH who led the investigation team. "It is a call for using it responsibly and addressing its unintended impacts proactively to make it sustainable and equitable. We have a narrow window to ensure that the backbone of the technological revolution of our era develops within planetary limits, and that the communities who provide the critical minerals for advancing AI and the ones that host its infrastructure and e-waste are also among those who benefit from it." 

The true environmental cost of AI...An environmental footprint that is being measured incorrectly. The report finds that the environmental cost of AI is being systematically mismeasured. Most existing assessments focus on the carbon emissions associated with training large models. However, every kilowatt-hour of electricity used to train or run an AI system also carries a water footprint, stemming from cooling and power generation, and a land-use footprint, stemming from energy infrastructure and supply chains. These three footprints do not move in the same direction. The transition from coal to bioenergy, for example, can, on average, reduce the carbon footprint of electricity by 70%, while increasing its water footprint by more than thirty times and its land-use footprint by one hundred times. The report concludes that "low carbon" does not automatically mean "low water consumption" or "low land use" and warns that assessing the sustainability of AI through a single metric may obscure trade-offs and shift environmental burdens to regions already facing water or land-use stress. The numbers are rapidly adding up at the infrastructure level. Global data centers will consume approximately 448 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025. If considered as a single country, they would be the 11th largest electricity consumer in the world, behind France and ahead of Saudi Arabia.

"What surprised us most was how often the choices that seem most environmentally friendly from a carbon emissions standpoint end up being worse for water or soil," said Dr. Miriam Aczel, a researcher at UNU-INWEH and lead author of the report. "If we continue to assess the sustainability of AI solely by carbon emissions, we might think that renewable energy makes AI infrastructure clean, but this solves one problem while creating others, often in locations that didn't ask for them."

Inference, efficiency, and the rebound effect...Public discussion has largely focused on the energy required to train massive models. Training GPT-3 was estimated to require 1.3 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity, while estimates suggest GPT-4 consumed between 50 and 70 GWh. However, the report reveals this framing is outdated. Once a model is deployed, inference—the continuous running of models to answer everyday user prompts—becomes the dominant cost, accounting for 80 to 90 per cent of total AI energy use. ChatGPT alone is estimated to process around 2.5 billion prompts per day, translating to roughly 383 GWh of electricity per year for a single product. Offsetting associated carbon emissions would require 2.6 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years, enough trees to cover a land area the size of Manhattan. The water footprint is equivalent to the minimum annual domestic water needs of roughly 500,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the land footprint is equal to over 800 football fields.

Marking its 30th anniversary of operation in 2026, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is one of 13 institutions that make up the United Nations University (UNU), the academic arm of the UN. Known as 'The UN's Think Tank on Water', UNU-INWEH addresses critical water, environmental, and health challenges around the world. Through research, training, capacity development, and knowledge dissemination, the institute contributes to solving pressing global sustainability and human security issues of concern to the UN and its Member States. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, UNU-INWEH has been hosted and supported by the Government of Canada since 1996. With a global mandate and extensive partnerships across UN entities, international organizations, and governments, UNU-INWEH operates through its UNU Hubs in Calgary, Hamburg, New York, Lund, and Pretoria, and an international network of affiliates.

mundophone

TECH

Ultra-thin MoS₂ computer packs 1,400 transistors onto one chip

The rapid advancement and diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as the machine learning models underpinning the functioning of ChatGPT, Gemini and similar platforms, have posed new demands on the electronics engineering industry. In fact, these systems are computationally intensive and consume substantial power, particularly when running on existing devices.

Electronics engineers worldwide have thus been trying to develop new hardware systems that can run machine learning algorithms more energy efficiently, without adversely affecting their performance. One promising approach for reducing power consumption entails the use of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, ultrathin materials that have already proved promising for the development of smaller electronics.

Researchers at Nanjing University, Suzhou Laboratory and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. recently developed and fabricated a fully functional computer based on the 2D semiconductor molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂).

This computer, presented in a Nature Electronics paper, combines more than 1,400 tiny transistors (i.e., devices that amplify and switch electrical signals) on a single chip.

"This research grew from our recognition of 2D semiconductors' transformative potential," Yun Mao, co-first author of the paper, told BBC.

"As silicon transistor scaling nears its fundamental physical limits, 2D semiconductors have emerged as one of the most promising materials for the post-Moore era: Their atomic thickness suppresses the short-channel effects that cripple ultrascaled silicon, enabling further miniaturization beyond what silicon can achieve."

Silicon rival MoS2 promises small, low-energy chips...The first computer chip made out of a substance described as a "promising" alternative to silicon has been tested by researchers.

The Switzerland-based team used molybdenite (MoS2) - a dark-coloured, naturally occurring mineral.

The group said the substance could be used in thinner layers than silicon, which is currently the most commonly used component in electronics.

It said MoS2 could make smaller, more flexible chips that used less energy.

The substance is currently used as an ingredient in engine lubricants, ski waxes and as a strengthening agent for plastics.

Prof Andras Kis, the director of the Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES) in Lausanne, publisheddetails of the research, externalin the latest edition of the ACS Nano journal.

He said the team chose to experiment with this semiconductor, rather than another material, in part because it was easily available.

"There is something like 19 million metric tonnes around," Prof Kis told the BBC.

Surfaces oxidise...To obtain a thin layer of the material to work with, Prof Kis's team put a strip of sticky plastic over the crystal, peeled it off and then attached the sliver to a support. The plastic was then peeled off to leave the very thin layer of MoS2 exposed.

Using this, the team built a prototype microchip circuit to which they attached up to six serial transistors allowing them to carry out simple logic operations.

Although the integrated circuit was basic, Prof Kis said it proved that more complex designs would be possible on thinner chips than could be produced with silicon.

"The problem with silicon is that you cannot make very thin things from it because it is very reactive," he said.

"The surface likes to oxidise - it likes to bind with oxygen... and that makes its electrical properties degrade when you want to make a very thin film."

As a result the thinnest usable layers of silicon used in computer chips have been around two nanometres thick. MoS2, by contrast, can be used in layers just three atoms thick, allowing chips to be made at least three times smaller.

                         MAGIC-1000 chip wafer. Credit: Fan et al

From individual 2D devices to a fully functional computer...While 2D semiconductors have proved to be promising for the development of miniaturized and ultrathin electronics, most earlier works used them to fabricate individual components or small circuits. In addition, the few larger-scale demonstrations of 2D semiconductor-based systems integrated only a limited number of transistors and components.

Mao and his colleagues set out to fill this gap in the literature and realize a fully functional, large-scale computer based on a 2D semiconductor. The computer they developed is among the first to integrate more than 1,000 MoS₂-based transistors on a single chip.

"We recognized that proving 2D materials' viability for ultra-large-scale integration required a complete, end-to-end approach addressing key challenges across fabrication, standard cells, logic synthesis, and interconnect routing," said Mao.

"Our core objective was thus to develop a Multi-Level Co-Optimization (MLCO) methodology and demonstrate a thousand-transistor-scale computer, proving 2D semiconductors can transition from lab curiosities to practical applications."

The computer developed by this research team essentially operates as a tiny parallel data-processing factory. The computer has a 4-bit parallel processor that can execute eight different instructions and has four core modules. Its modules include an instruction decoder, a register file, an arithmetic logic unit and a multiplexer.

"The decoder translates incoming instructions into chip-readable signals, which direct the register file to fetch data, the ALU to perform arithmetic operations, and the multiplexer to write results back to registers," explained Mao.

"Unlike prior 2D chips limited to serial 1-bit processing, our 4-bit design handles four bits simultaneously, drastically improving speed."

Using their newly introduced MLCO design strategy, the researchers were able to integrate significantly more transistors into a single chip compared with earlier microprocessors based on materials other than silicon. Specifically, they achieved a density of 9,336 transistors per square millimeter, which is comparable to transistor densities in silicon-based devices.

"We also demonstrated the first multi-bit parallel 2D semiconductor computer, a departure from all prior serial implementations," said Mao.

"Finally, we achieved the first on-chip register file integration in 2D technology, eliminating the performance bottleneck of off-chip storage required by all previous 2D computer systems."

A blueprint for developing ultrathin and energy-efficient computers

This recent study opens new exciting possibilities for the fabrication of new energy-efficient and ultrathin computers based on MoS₂ or other 2D semiconductors. The team's proposed methodology could soon be refined further and applied to the realization of other similar computers.

"We have established a clear Lab-to-Fab technology path, providing a foundational paradigm for future 2D integrated circuit development," said Mao.

"In addition, we will explore heterogeneous integration of 2D materials with mature silicon technology, combining their complementary strengths to build more powerful and efficient next-generation integrated circuits."

by Ingrid Fadelli

TECH

A low-tech solution to the 6G problem—metacrystal panels offer cheap way to guide wireless signals around corners

The advent of sixth-generation (6G) and future wireless technologies will transform communications by offering higher data rates, improved energy efficiency, and lower latency1. However, the realization of high data rates necessitates the exploration of new frequency bands, such as millimeter (mm) waves and sub-THz bands. While these frequencies offer vast amounts of bandwidth, they also present considerable challenges due to their high atmospheric attenuation, free-space path loss, and harsher scattering effects when encountering obstacles. Therefore, reliance on traditional multipath propagation is no longer feasible, and directional beams must be used for communication. Moreover, higher-frequency signals are often blocked by obstacles, such as walls, requiring a denser network of base stations and relays. Recently, metasurfaces, also referred to as intelligent surfaces, have been proposed to mitigate these challenges by efficiently redirecting communication signals in free space to bypass obstacles. These artificial surfaces, strategically positioned on walls, ceilings, and even windows, can substantially enhance both indoor and outdoor signal coverage through anomalous reflection or refraction, requiring minimal to no energy for their operation.

Most of the existing studies on intelligent surfaces focused on achieving reconfigurable responses. Programmable metasurfaces are capable of dynamically manipulating several wave characteristics, including wave vector, polarization, frequency, and wavefront, within a unified structure. However, they have proven to be too expensive for widespread adoption in the communication industry. This is primarily due to their requirement to operate at high frequencies (above 30–50 GHz), their large physical footprint (approximately one square meter) even for incorporating a single communication channel, and the need for highly tunable constituent elements. Consequently, their non-reconfigurable (completely passive) counterparts have recently gained great attention due to their significantly lower manufacturing and maintenance costs. In fact, in many real-world scenarios, reconfigurability is not necessary because the positions of the receivers and transmitters are fixed or weakly varying. For instance, in industrial settings, machinery and sensors are usually installed in fixed locations; the infrastructure and major pathways in large public hubs remain constant; and in office environments, the locations of access points are typically fixed.

While various pathways for the analytic design of passive intelligent surfaces were proposed (e.g., anomalous reflectors, smart skins, metagratings, and aperiodic gratings), all of them lack the sufficient versatility for realistic applications. Indeed, in most practical scenarios, it is necessary for the intelligent surface to operate effectively across both signal polarizations, multiple frequency bands, various angles of arrival, and even all at once. Realizing such versatile surfaces with current analytical or semi-analytical design techniques remains very challenging, as these techniques rely on specific homogenization models (e.g., based on polarizability, susceptibility, or surface impedance tensors). Factors, such as frequency dispersion, nonlocality, and anisotropy make the implementation of the unit cells with required material parameters hardly possible. Recent work on multifunctional metasurfaces at microwave and sub-THz frequencies falls into two main classes: multi-incidence and multi-dimensional. 

Multi-incidence designs operate under multiple incidence angles or wave vectors; examples include angle-dependent/independent metasurfaces, directional Janus metasurfaces, and schemes multiplexing guided and space waves. Multi-dimensional designs simultaneously control several wave properties (polarization p, propagation direction/wavefront angle θ, phase ϕ, and amplitude A) typically for a single incident wave. Demonstrations include concurrent control of polarization and direction, wave-vector modulation across frequencies using multi-band metasurfaces, and co-modulation of polarization and wavefront.

Basements, tunnels, large buildings—a weak Wi-Fi or mobile signal in these hard-to-reach places is frustrating. The usual solution is to add more electronics like routers, repeaters and base stations. Yet, as we move towards a 6G mobile network, this kind of complex infrastructure can be unsustainable and prohibitively expensive. Higher-frequency channels of 6G communications aim to provide vastly more data bandwidth than the current 5G, but those channels are more easily blocked by walls, people and other obstacles.

A passive 3D-printed metacrystal panel redirects radio waves around obstacles and toward users, offering a low-cost way to improve indoor/outdoor wireless coverage without adding base stations, wiring or powered electronics(image above). Credit: Aalto University / Mahdi Asgari

To tackle this, researchers at Aalto University have developed a new solution in the form of metacrystals: passive, 3D-printed smart panels that can shape wireless signals without electronics, a power supply or active tuning. The paper, "Metacrystals: Inversely-designed 3D-printed intelligent panels for 6G communications" is published in Nature Communications.

"When a room is too dark, you can bring in more lamps—or use simple mirrors to guide the already available light. This is what these metacrystals do, but with radio waves," explains doctoral researcher Mahdi Asgari. "Unlike previously proposed single-layer intelligent surfaces, these volumetric metacrystals can be designed to control multiple incoming signals or frequency bands independently—a key requirement for realistic wireless communication."

The panels could be installed on walls, ceilings, furniture, or other surfaces to redirect signals around corners, into shadowed areas or toward specific users or devices.

Unlike many existing intelligent surfaces, which often perform only one task for one signal direction, the panels can handle several incoming waves at the same time, operate over different frequency bands simultaneously, work in reflection or transmission mode, and even fully absorb unwanted signals.

3D printed, custom elements...Conventional reconfigurable intelligent surfaces require many tunable elements and complicated control circuits, which makes them expensive and difficult to deploy widely. However, the metacrystal panels can be fabricated using 3D printing, leaving the estimated price of consumable material at a few tens of euros per piece. This also allows for creating custom panels for specific environments, rather than having one universal device.

"For industry, the most attractive use cases are static or slowly changing environments like factories, indoor 5G/6G networks, warehouses, and long corridors," says Asgari. "In such places, a passive panel designed for a known layout could be much cheaper and simpler than an actively controlled surface that requires continuous maintenance."

Asgari says that complex electromagnetic functionality can now be realized as a low-cost, single-piece plastic structure ready to be put on a wall. These panels can quietly improve wireless connections in the background. Once installed, geometry does all the work.

Metacrystals could become part of everyday architecture...The researchers are now looking into pathways to commercialize the discovery and are seeking engagement from industrial collaborators interested in programmable metasurfaces, intelligent wireless infrastructure and low-cost passive signal-control technologies.

"The hope would be that in the future we can see these scalable, smart wireless environments put to practical application in indoor spaces and outdoor urban settings," says Asgari.

The next step is to move from static towards reconfigurable panels that can adapt when the wireless environment changes, he says. Today's reconfigurable intelligent surfaces are often too costly and complex for broad industrial use, so the team is exploring simpler ways to fabricate tunable panels while keeping them affordable and practical.

Provided by Aalto University

 

TECH

New WebAssembly memory layout could stop Heartbleed-style browser attacks with no visible slowdown

Modern web development increasingly requires complex applications running natively on the web, driving adoption of fast, efficient technologies like WebAssembly (WASM), now used by sites such as Figma and Google Earth.

Despite its strengths, WASM lacks common low-level protections (stack canaries, ASLR, safe unlinking), leaving buffer overflows and use-after-free exploitable for control-flow hijacking. While the WASM VM blocks some attacks, we show that these flaws can still cause classic web exploits, compromising the host.

Although WASM’s security model has been scrutinized over the years, little work maps low-level WASM bugs to web-layer attacks. Web security often targets high-level code, overlooking the impact of integrating compiled modules.

We show how unsafe WASM can introduce atypical web flaws that evade traditional analysis. We build PoC web services with intentionally vulnerable WASM modules to demonstrate how memory-safety bugs become high-impact attacks, including SQL injection and XS-Leaks.

For reproducibility, each PoC offers step-by-step instructions or a Python demo script. Modules are written in C and compiled with Emscripten to showcase classic exploitation; findings generalize to other unsafe languages (e.g., C++).

The primary contributions of this work are:

• We analyze memory/control-flow bugs (stack buffer overflows, use-after-free, integer overflows, format strings) and show how they enable web exploits (SQLi, SSTI, XS-Leaks), chosen for their historical weight (SQLi) or novelty in WASM (SSTI, XS-Leaks).

• We propose a reproducible methodology linking compiled-code flaws to web-layer impact, combining vulnerability selection, PoC building, exploit automation, and impact assessment.

• We create reproducible PoCs embedding vulnerable WASM modules that realize concrete exploits (e.g., SQL injection via buffer-overflowed queries), with minimal Node.js server/client code and Python scripts for independent checks.

• We publish all PoCs, scripts, and docker containers for full reproducibility

Google Earth, Zoom, Twitch.tv or Photoshop—thanks to the WebAssembly standard, many powerful applications now run directly in a browser without installation. However, some of these web apps have serious security vulnerabilities. Researchers from paluno—The Ruhr Institute for Software Technology at the University of Duisburg-Essen—have developed a solution to secure COTS applications by automatically reorganizing their memory.

Since 2019, WebAssembly (Wasm for short) has been a stable web standard designed to make complex desktop applications run in the browser. To make this possible, the original program code—often written in C or C++—is compiled into the Wasm binary format, which is supported by all major browsers.

There is a catch, however: If the code contains vulnerabilities, these are also transferred into the Wasm module during compilation. In C/C++, these are typically memory access errors such as buffer overflows. Hackers can exploit such vulnerabilities for so-called cross-site scripting attacks, injecting malicious code that users then unknowingly execute in their browsers.

Existing approaches to securing Wasm modules are hardly practical. Many require access to the application's source code, while others need special hardware or customized browser environments. The new solution developed by paluno researchers Oussama Draissi and Prof. Lucas Davi takes a different approach. They use Wasm's multi-memory feature to perform a one-time, fully automated memory reorganization of existing modules.

The restructuring is reminiscent of a Japanese bento box, in which different foods are neatly separated into individual compartments. The advantage: Isolating memory areas prevents, for example, HTML tags in one memory area from being overwritten by a buffer overflow in another.

For users, the restructuring of the modules comes with no noticeable drawbacks. They will notice neither longer loading times nor a significantly larger memory footprint.

The researchers tested the effectiveness of the bento approach using known security vulnerabilities, including the infamous Heartbleed bug.

"In extensive tests, we were able to demonstrate that our solution would have successfully defended against real-world attacks on widely used applications," explains Oussama Draissi.

Provided by University of Duisburg-Essen

DIGITAL LIFE

Erin Brockovich returns to the scene, but to lead resistance against data centers

For years, artificial intelligence has been presented as one of the most promising technologies of the 21st century. However, behind the advances in chatbots, automation systems, and generative models, there is a gigantic infrastructure that rarely appears in public discussions: data centers.

Now, one of the best-known environmental activists in the United States wants to draw attention precisely to this less visible side of the digital revolution. Erin Brockovich, whose story inspired the famous film starring Julia Roberts, has launched an online platform to monitor the construction of new data centers throughout the United States.

According to her, many communities only discover that a large technological project will be installed near their homes when construction is already well underway.

The initiative is called Brockovich Data Center and gathers information on existing projects, ongoing construction, and future planned data centers in the United States.

The goal is to offer transparency to residents and local authorities about a rapidly growing industry driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services.

Since the platform's launch in April 2026, thousands of people have submitted information and reports about projects near their communities.

For Brockovich, the problem is not only technological but also democratic. According to the activist, the population should not be the last to know about projects capable of profoundly transforming the environment in which they live.

Although they have existed for decades, data centers have entered a new phase of expansion with the explosive growth of artificial intelligence.

These facilities house thousands of servers responsible for processing, storing, and distributing information. The continuous operation of this equipment requires enormous amounts of electricity and sophisticated cooling systems.

It is precisely at this point that the main criticisms arise.

Experts and environmental organizations warn that a single data center can consume energy equivalent to that of a small city. In addition, many projects depend on large volumes of water to keep their equipment cool.

In some regions of India, residents have reported difficulties accessing water after the installation of these structures. According to reports released by environmental organizations, communities have begun to receive water supply for limited periods of the day due to the growing demand for water. Impacts that go beyond energy...Concerns are not limited to electricity and water consumption.

Critics also point to the increase in electronic waste production. As servers need to be constantly updated to keep up with technological evolution, large quantities of equipment end up being discarded after only a few years of use.

Another frequently cited problem is noise pollution. Ventilation and cooling systems operate continuously, generating noise that can affect both residents and local wildlife.

From an economic point of view, the benefits are also questioned. Although investments often reach billions of dollars, data centers tend to employ relatively few people after the construction phase.

Many facilities occupy areas equivalent to dozens of football fields, but operate with fewer than one hundred permanent employees.

Where expansion is most intense...The United States leads the number of data centers in the world, with approximately 5,400 facilities in operation.

Following are countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Canada, France, Australia, the Netherlands, and Russia.

The trend, however, is for accelerated growth. Thousands of new projects are planned for the coming years, especially in rural areas.

In Asia, countries like China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are rapidly expanding their investments. In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar are also heavily investing in the sector.

In Europe, the Frankfurt region in Germany remains one of the largest global hubs for the industry.

Communities are beginning to react... The advancement of this infrastructure has provoked resistance in different parts of the world.

In the United States, some states are already discussing or implementing temporary moratoriums to slow down new construction while they study its impacts.

Similar cases have emerged in Ireland, the Netherlands, and several Latin American countries.

In Chile, environmental groups managed to block a project linked to artificial intelligence in 2024. In Brazil, local movements are also beginning to question new ventures, especially in the Northeast region, considered strategic for the sector's expansion.

In Germany, the American company EdgeConneX recently abandoned an energy project associated with a data center after facing opposition from the local population and municipal authorities.

The debate raised by Erin Brockovich highlights an increasingly relevant issue: every technological innovation has a physical and environmental infrastructure behind it.

As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday life, the need to discuss the energy, water, and social costs that sustain this transformation also grows.

For Brockovich, the solution lies not in halting technological advancement, but in ensuring transparency, public participation, and proper planning. After all, while millions of people use AI tools daily, few know what is being built to make it all possible.

mundophone

 

DIGITAL LIFE

Ebola virus and the smartphone

The Ebola epidemic spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has reignited an alert that goes beyond public health. Researchers and international organizations have been drawing attention to a less obvious, but increasingly relevant connection: the relationship between deforestation, mining, and the risk of new outbreaks of diseases transmitted from animals to humans.

At the heart of this discussion is the Congo Basin forest, the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, after the Amazon, and one of the most strategic regions for the digital economy. The Democratic Republic of Congo holds large reserves of cobalt, copper, coltan, gold, and other minerals used in smartphones, semiconductors, batteries, electric cars, and technology equipment.

Global demand for these inputs has driven industrial mining and, especially, artisanal mining, an informal activity involving hundreds of thousands of workers in the country.

According to a report in The Guardian, this rush for minerals has encroached upon forested areas and altered the ecological balance of regions where viruses like Ebola circulate in wild animals, mainly fruit bats, considered likely natural reservoirs.

The logic is straightforward. When the forest is felled or fragmented, animals that previously remained in more preserved areas begin to occupy smaller fragments of forest, often closer to human communities, mining camps, and makeshift settlements. This more frequent contact increases the chances of viruses present in wild animals reaching people.

The problem is not only environmental but also economic. The digital economy depends on minerals extracted in areas where governance is weak, health infrastructure is limited, and armed conflicts hinder any rapid response. In eastern Congo, where some artisanal mining is concentrated, workers enter forested areas in search of gold, coltan, and other minerals, often without adequate sanitation, housing, or medical assistance.

This scenario creates a favorable environment for the spread of diseases. Mining camps and mining villages often bring together people from different regions, with high mobility and low coverage of public services. If an infection arises in these places, it can spread more rapidly than in isolated communities.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola considered serious and for which there is no approved vaccine or specific medication. In June, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted hundreds of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The World Health Organization had already classified the situation as a public health emergency of international concern, due to the risk of regional expansion.

The relationship between mining and Ebola, however, is a simple causality. There is no proof that artisanal mining was the direct origin of the current outbreak. What studies indicate is that deforestation and forest fragmentation increase the risk of pathogen spillover, the moment when a virus passes from animals to humans.

The English website cites the case of Mongbwalu, a mining town in northeastern Congo, as an example of this overlapping risk. The region appears among the locations associated with the first clusters of fatal cases in the current outbreak and is also surrounded by gold mining areas. Satellite images analyzed by researchers indicate recent progress in forest loss around the city.

Demand for minerals...The International Energy Agency, linked to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), projects significant growth in demand for critical minerals in the coming decades. Congo, in turn, occupies a central position in this dispute. According to the United States Department of Commerce, the country holds between 50% and 70% of the global supply of cobalt, in addition to significant reserves of copper, coltan, lithium, and gold.

This concentration places governments and companies before a difficult choice. Ignoring Congo is not a realistic option for the global clean energy and technology industry. At the same time, maintaining supply chains based on informal extraction, deforestation, and weak oversight tends to increase reputational, social, and environmental risks.

Experts argue that the response cannot be limited to the emergency fight against Ebola. It is necessary to strengthen health systems, expand epidemiological surveillance, protect forests, and create stricter mechanisms for mineral traceability. It also involves supporting economic alternatives for local populations, who often turn to artisanal mining because agriculture has become less viable in the face of conflict, poverty, and climate change.

For consumers, the connection between a smartphone and an epidemic may seem distant. But it reveals a less visible facet of the digital economy. Every electronic device depends on a global chain that begins long before the factory, in mines, forests, and communities that rarely appear in innovation campaigns.

This discussion doesn't mean that cell phones, semiconductors, or batteries are directly responsible for Ebola outbreaks. The point is broader: the growing demand for technology is reorganizing territories, putting pressure on ecosystems, and creating risks. In the age of artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and permanent connectivity, the question of the origin of minerals becomes as important as the innovation they help to build.

mundophone

TECH

Star Wars Zero Company now has an official release date

Fans of the galaxy far, far away have great reason to celebrate. Electronic Arts took advantage of the spotlight at Summer Game Fest 2026 to reveal more details about the highly anticipated Star Wars Zero Company.

The new title promises to bring a genuine breath of fresh air to the franchise, betting on a turn-based tactical strategy format that immediately reminds us of the classic XCOM. It's a different approach from the usual frenetic action we're used to seeing, but it has everything to keep players glued to the screen for hours on end.

Developed in a powerful partnership between Respawn Entertainment and the newly created studio Bit Reactor, the game has just received its first gameplay trailer. The best news of all is that the mystery is over and we already know exactly when you can get your hands on this adventure.

The narrative takes us back to the ever-fascinating period of the Clone Wars, putting you in the shoes of Hawks, a former officer of the Galactic Republic. Your main mission will be to recruit and lead the “Zero Company,” a rather peculiar group composed of mercenaries, astromechs, and renegades from across the galaxy.

Your squad's ultimate goal is to stop the forces of Kundri Fathom, the fearsome leader of a cult focused on the dark side of the Force. Along the way, and as one would expect in a title of this magnitude, you will encounter iconic figures from the saga, including the unavoidable Jedi General Anakin Skywalker.

All the action takes place from an isometric perspective, where every military decision can mean the difference between a heroic victory and a crushing defeat. It's, at the very least, thrilling to see the Star Wars universe embracing this more cerebral and demanding genre with such a high level of detail and customization.

Electronic Arts, Bit Reactor, and Respawn Entertainment announced during the Summer Game Fest 2026 broadcast that Star Wars Zero Company will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) on August 27, 2026.

The companies also revealed the official prices for the game:

PC (Steam and Epic Games Store): $49.99

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series: $59.99

Deluxe Edition (Steam and Epic Games Store): $59.99

Deluxe Edition (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series): $69.99

The Deluxe editions will include additional content to be detailed later.

From the Star Wars Zero Company Steam page, we can read: Command an elite squad in a story of courage and authenticity in Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based tactical single-player game set in the twilight of the Clone Wars. You will play as Hawks, a former Republic officer who leads Zero Company, as they are recruited for an operation that puts them in the path of an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked.

Lead the most astute Agents of Clone Wars...Command the galaxy's best agents in tactical operations, investigations, and other intense and thrilling missions through an original cinematic story.

Choose Your Path to Victory...Strategize and adapt, whether in your base of operations or on an ever-changing battlefield, so that every decision counts; the results of your choices make each gameplay experience different.

Engage in Tactical Combat in the Star Wars Universe...Mobilize a team of operatives comprised of a variety of archetypes, from bandits to astromechs, or even a Jedi, using an arsenal of tactical skills to outmaneuver and defeat your enemies.

Create deep bonds with your Squadron... Enhance your squadron's skills as you deploy them on missions, where they'll learn to work together and unlock new combat synergies that can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Customize your Fight...Customize Hawks' combat specialization and appearance, then recruit your team with original, personalized Star Wars characters whose appearances, equipment, and abilities adapt to your playstyle.

If you're already eager to don the commander's suit, mark August 27th on your calendar. The game will be released on major current-generation platforms, ensuring that console and PC lovers don't miss out on this tactical war.

Electronic Arts has already opened pre-orders for those who like to secure their one-way ticket to space in advance. The standard edition is priced around US$70, and there's also a Deluxe version that offers exclusive cosmetics for the most dedicated players.

This launch marks a bold move by the brand into a very specific niche of the video game market. Now we just have to wait a few more months to test our strategic thinking and try to save the galaxy with our own team of renegades.