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Launch5d ago

AI Data Centers Rival Countries in Energy Use

PBS1 min brief

In brief

  • Data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity last year, more than all but 10 countries.
    • This energy use produced about 208 million tons of carbon dioxide, similar to Argentina's emissions, and consumed about 1.2 trillion gallons of water.
  • By 2030, data centers will account for nearly 3% of the world's electricity use, producing nearly 440 million tons of carbon dioxide.
  • The demand for data centers is driven by artificial intelligence, which currently uses about 20% of data centers' energy and will grow to 40% by 2030.
  • Data centers will continue to grow and increase their environmental impact.

Read full story at PBS

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