AI Data Centres May Consume More Power Than Most Countries By 2030, Warns UN Chief
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The appeal comes at a time when AI adoption is growing rapidly across the world. The United Nations has asked major artificial intelligence (AI) companies to be more transparent about the environmental impact of their data centres. Speaking at London Climate Action Week on Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged AI companies to publicly share details about their water, energy and land usage and move towards renewable energy to power their operations, Reuters reported. Launching the U.N.'s AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, Guterres warned that the environmental cost of AI could become significant if companies fail to act now. “By 2030, they could use more power than all but five countries – and enough water to meet the basic needs of all 1.3 billion residents of sub‑Saharan Africa for an entire year,” Guterres was quoted as saying. The appeal comes at a time when AI adoption is growing rapidly across the world, leading to a massive increase in the number of data centres needed to power AI models and services. Environmental groups have repeatedly raised concerns over the high electricity and water consumption of these facilities, along with a lack of transparency from technology companies. He called on AI firms to...
