We're building more data centers for a technology that's ramping global warming even faster. Water consumption, heat generation and tons and tons of CO2 emitting concrete to house these things.

So we're doing something, but those things are counterproductive to our planet's general well being. Apparently billionaires don't need an inhabitable Earth to live on.

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asats an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Yeah, data-centers are definitely the worst thing happening to the planet. You got your priorities straight.

AI data centers are what, half a percent of the world electricity consumption, if that, and an even smaller fraction of the total energy?

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dredmorbius an hour ago | parent [-]

Growth trend matters more than absolute present value.

Data centres generally had been seeing energy use growing at 12% annually, or with a doubling time of 5.8 years (about 5 years 10 months). AI is accelerating that trend.

In the United States, power consumption by data centres is on course to account for almost half of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030. Driven by AI use, the US economy is set to consume more electricity in 2030 for processing data than for manufacturing all energy-intensive goods combined, including aluminium, steel, cement and chemicals. In advanced economies more broadly, data centres are projected to drive more than 20% of the growth in electricity demand between now and 2030, putting the power sector in those economies back on a growth footing after years of stagnating or declining demand in many of them.

<https://www.iea.org/news/ai-is-set-to-drive-surging-electric...>

	▲	asats 11 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		>or with a doubling time of 5.8 years So that in ~6 years they will account for 1%, and still a fraction of the percent of the world total energy use?

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inigyou an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

DC water consumption is a red herring. That water is returned back to its source but warmer.

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windexh8er an hour ago | parent | next [-]

If you think that every data center is now a closed loop system enjoy your propaganda.

Colossus 1 and 2 still use open loop systems. And with the case of blow down water that's "returned" it's not usable due to the use of concentrated salts (1,200 to 6,000 mg/L).

In your mind this is a closed loop system of clean water. It is not. And as DCs have less and less discharge there is more and more solid waste produced.

Your assertion that "water consumption is a red herring" is utter bull shit. I'd suggest enlightening yourself [0][1][2][3].

[0] https://genesiswatertech.com/blog-post/advanced-blowdown-tre... [1] https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/TP121/how-data... [2] https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.21760 [3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/epa-writing-perm...

	▲	dredmorbius 17 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48055532>
	▲	froggy 5 minutes ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Very interesting how your enlightening comments about dirty AI data centers are being downvoted. Pro-Musk, pro-AI bots and shills trying to keep the smoke screen going?
	▲	jay_kyburz 10 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Yes, but they _could_ be a closed loop system if governments demanded it. And they should. The could, and should generate their own electricity as well. And perhaps even provide free power to the surrounding neighborhood to make up for the noise and inconvenience of having one nearby.

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CGMthrowaway 16 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

Yes, just like cow farts.