- The United Nations (UN) has issued a warning, urging countries to confront the escalating environmental costs of artificial intelligence (AI).
- AI data centres consume vast amounts of electricity and water for cooling, while the technology’s footprint from chip production, critical minerals and electronic waste has also been highlighted in a report from the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.
- According to the scientists, AI-related workloads accounted for roughly 20 per cent of total data centre electricity use in 2025, with this expected to rise to 40 per cent by the end of the decade.
- This means electricity consumption linked to AI is projected to surge to such a level by 2030 that it could power the residential needs of all 1.3 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa for over two years.
- Governments are being urged to ensure decisions on AI infrastructure are integrated with energy planning, water governance and land-use permitting to ensure sustainable growth of the technology.
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