Data centers have experienced continuous growth for decades, reports Ayse Coskun, but the recent growth associated with the use of artificial intelligence and large language models has been exceptional.

“AI queries require about 10 times the electricity of traditional Google queries,” according to a report from the Electric Power Research Institute, and states such as Virginia already have “more than 25% of their electricity consumed by data centers.” Even back in 2022, data centers accounted for almost a fifth of all electricity used in Ireland, and now that amount has increased to 21%.

“The artificial intelligence boom has had such a profound effect on big tech companies that their energy consumption, and with it their carbon emissions, have surged,” Coskun says. And, despite the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid and technological advancements in areas such as cooling and hardware efficiency, these increased energy demands present complex challenges and threaten stated climate goals.

“At present, data centers worldwide consume 1-2% of overall power, but this percentage will likely rise to 3-4% by the end of the decade,” according to Goldman Sachs. “Along the way, the carbon dioxide emissions of data centers may more than double between 2022 and 2030.”

Read more at The Conversation.