Showalter Quoted on Climate Crisis with AI Data Centers in Energy Demand and Emissions

Mike said that the data centers “can be great gobblers of water because of the cooling processes they require,” and can also compete with local communities for energy and water.

The International Energy Agency published a report projecting that by 2030, power demands from data center will double globally, with AI being the most significant driver. 

Mike noted that due to the centers’ technology, “they tend to cluster” in urban areas that typically wouldn’t otherwise have such high energy demands.

“You then end up loading an awful lot onto a power grid and a locality very fast, which means figuring out how to deal with that,” he said. “So, either you build out the grid or you build your own power source and essentially create a cul-de-sac of your own energy use.”

Only a few countries have legislation addressing AI-related energy use and few non-legislative regulatory mechanisms have been introduced. 

Mike said, “In the US, we don’t have a comprehensive climate change policy,” and current energy regulation policies have been rolled back under the second Trump Administration.

However, the tech companies largely responsible for building AI-driven data centers have signaled a willingness to address the environmental concerns. 

“The US technology sector largely comes from California, and those companies have roots in those issues,” he said. 

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