DIGITAL LIFE

AI’s energy demand is growing — and that’s a problem

The growing demand for electricity driven by the expansion of data centers, especially due to the rise of artificial intelligence and cloud computing, is raising environmental concerns.

A Reuters report warns that, due to the slow pace of clean energy deployment, many countries are meeting this demand with fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal.

In the United States, for example, several utilities are expanding gas-fired plants and postponing the decommissioning of fossil plants to serve the new data centers. The situation is similar in countries such as Poland, Germany and Malaysia.

Carbonization goals face impasses:

The scenario presents a challenge for governments struggling to meet decarbonization goals, as discussed at the COP29 climate conference.

Commitments by large technology companies such as Meta, Amazon and Microsoft to use renewable energy have been questioned, as they often involve simply redirecting existing clean energy.

The expansion of data centres could also undermine global climate efforts, with the data centre industry expected to generate up to 2.5 billion tonnes of CO₂ by 2030, comparable to the annual emissions of Russia. In some regions, such as Poland, reliance on coal is still necessary due to a shortage of renewable energy sources. This further complicates the emissions picture, with countries such as Ireland and Germany also using gas and even coal to power new data centres. The situation illustrates the tension between the growing demand for technology and the urgent need to transition to more sustainable energy sources.

mundophone