A report from the International Energy Agency warns that the same technology driving innovation in fields from medicine to climate modeling could more than double global electricity demand from data centers by 2030. The findings raise urgent questions about whether AI’s promise can be squared with environmental limits.
The report draws together global and regional modelling and datasets, as well as interviews with governments, regulators, technology companies, the energy industry and experts in international development.
The authors found that while AI can help optimize grids and speed clean-energy innovation, tech companies’ ballooning appetite for power risks straining infrastructure and impeding climate progress unless new breakthroughs in clean energy and efficiency meet the new capacity.