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A study commissioned by Greenpeace concludes that computer data centers massively increase energy consumption and exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions.
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently experiencing rapid growth. This is accompanied by an increasing demand for energy, rising greenhouse gas emissions, as well as increased water and resource consumption, warns the Öko-Institut. Greenpeace Germany has examined the environmental impacts of Artificial Intelligence and conducted a trend analysis up to the year 2030.
AI data centers drive consumption upwards
With the increasing use of AI, digital infrastructures - particularly AI-specific data centers - are expanding. According to forecasts, the global electricity consumption of AI data centers is projected to increase elevenfold from 50 billion kilowatt-hours in the base year 2023 to around 550 billion kilowatt-hours by 2030, as stated by the institute in the study.
Together with other data centers, an estimated 1,400 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity will be used for central data processing in 2030.
More greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
This would lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from data centers from 212 million tons in 2023 to 355 million tons in 2030, despite the assumed expansion of renewable energy sources for electricity production.
According to the study, additional burdens arise from the water requirements for cooling, which will almost quadruple to 664 billion liters over the same period, as well as up to 5 million tons of electronic waste generated by the expansion of data centers and AI capacities. In addition, approximately 920 kilotons of steel and about a hundred kilotons of critical raw materials are needed.
Renewable energy does not meet estimated demand
Jens Gröger from the Öko-Institut warns that local power grids are increasingly reaching their limits due to the rising energy demand. "In the coming years, data centers will continue to rely on fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal - with correspondingly high ecological costs," laments the environmentalist.
He calls on policymakers to push for mandatory transparency requirements and accountability for operators of data centers and AI services.