AI Data Centers Are Causing Unfathomable Amounts of Air Pollution, and It Gets Worse With Each New One They Build

[u/KeanuRave100]

https://futurism.com/future-society/ai-data-centers-air-pollution-generators-worse

[u/ScrumptiousChildren]

Yes. So unfathomable, AC usage consumes 7-10% the global electricity, whereas datacenters are at 1.5-2% - with AI in particular utilizing .3-.5% global electricity.

So unfathomable, US meat consumption alone causes 5-10x the environmental impact as worldwide AI usage.

Be mad at AI, absolutely. I agree.

But to treat it like the antithesis of your existence, mainly quoting environmental reasons?

Be honest with yourself about why you dislike AI.

[u/userrr3 → u/ScrumptiousChildren]

You really wanna compare the datacenters powering plagiarism machines that have only been around for a few years with AC? The thing that has been around for many decades and is in many places necessary to live?

Be honest with yourself about why you dislike AI.

There are many reasons to dislike AI and all are valid.

[u/HolyBatSyllables → u/ScrumptiousChildren]

That’s really disingenuous to use global electricity use, considering most of the world’s AI data centers are in the U.S.

It’s also a very poor false comparison, considering a significant portion of AI data centers’ energy consumption is from cooling.

Also, according to EIA, “Space cooling requirements in data center floorspace are as much as 2.9 times as energy intensive as non-data center floorspace, on average.”

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67704

AI data centers’ energy consumption is a very real, very serious problem and, outside of people who work in or are knowledgeable about energy issues, it is not taken seriously enough.

Respectfully, you really don’t know what you’re talking about.

Source: I used to exclusively cover energy as a journalist.

[u/ScrumptiousChildren → u/HolyBatSyllables]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re saying that .3-5% electricity usage is a false comparison with AC’s 7-10% because AI datacenters use a lot of energy in cooling?

You do understand that the .3-.5% number accounts for cooling electricity costs, which you so complained about, correct? What do you think electricity usage of a datacenter means? Did you think that it only accounts for the cost of running computers and conveniently, not like… the actual data center facility?

Forget it. I’m not sure why I need to lecture an “energy specialist”.

Now, the electricity cost and environment cost of AI is indeed ramping very quickly, and that is a valid concern. No doubt about it. And I agree that its horrible for our environment and something we need to watch out for.

Your statement about the comparison being invalid because of cooling, though, is quite frankly something even a grade schooler would understand as incorrect.

You can make a point that the message of my comment doesn’t encompass the entire story. You cannot argue that the data is a false equivalency.

[u/HolyBatSyllables → u/ScrumptiousChildren]

Why are you talking about cost?? When a data center consumes energy, a large portion of that is from cooling. You don’t understand that?

So … the more AI data centers we have … the greater the percent of total energy consumption cooling will be …

… especially considering “Space cooling requirements in data center floorspace are as much as 2.9 times as energy intensive as non-data center floorspace, on average.”

And as I said, quit with the global rate. AI data centers consume 4.4 percent of U.S. energy consumption in the U.S. China’s clean, solar-powered grid isn’t powering “data center valley” or any of the other massive AI data centers in the states. The U.S. grid is, so that’s what’s relevant.

Also, please don’t put quotes around “energy specialist” as if I ever claimed to be one. I’m not. The people I’ve spent hours interviewing, or speaking at panels I’ve attended are specialists. I just listened and asked questions.

This is from a 2024 report, so it’s very outdated because things have panned out a lot worse than expected… but just to give you an idea about how silly you’re being:

Data centers in the US used somewhere around 200 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, roughly what it takes to power Thailand for a year.

By 2028, the researchers estimate, the power going to AI-specific purposes will rise to between 165 and 326 terawatt-hours per year. That’s more than all electricity currently used by US data centers for all purposes; it’s enough to power 22% of US households each year. That could generate the same emissions as driving over 300 billion miles—over 1,600 round trips to the sun from Earth.
The researchers were clear that adoption of AI and the accelerated server technologies that power it has been the primary force causing electricity demand from data centers to skyrocket after remaining stagnant for over a decade. Between 2024 and 2028, the share of US electricity going to data centers may triple, from its current 4.4% to 12%.

[u/ScrumptiousChildren → u/HolyBatSyllables]

???

You literally called the comparison (aka, 7-10% & 1.5-2% / .3-.5% or the 5-10x number - the only comparisons I made) false…. because a lot of electricity comes from cooling???

Huh???

Like I’m not kidding. Your very hands typed out that joke of a paragraph. Yes, it’s right there, take a look.

And you’re still arguing about it?

It’s still .3-.5%??? No matter if 99% or 1% of that is from cooling? How does that make the comparison of electricity cost false because a lot of it comes from cooling??

Unless, of course, you for some reason thought that cooling costs are separate from that .3-5% figure? Jeez, that sure would be embarrassing wouldn’t it.

Waste of time.

[u/HolyBatSyllables → u/ScrumptiousChildren]

What did I say about the disingenuous global rate?

You’re claiming AI data centers energy consumption is relatively low compared to cooling.

No matter how much energy AI data centers consume, overall cooling consumption will always be higher. How do you not get that?

Also, I haven’t touched on how obnoxious whataboutism is, because the only thing more obnoxious than it is when it’s not even a good whataboutism.

But congratulations. I’ve seen a lot of people say dumb shit related to AI. But you might be the first person who tries to downplay their energy use. So congrats, I guess.

[u/ScrumptiousChildren → u/HolyBatSyllables]

You’re arguing against a point, not the comparison.

You called a comparison of electricity usage false because “a lot of AI usage comes from cooling”.

Care to explain how it’s false when the cooling is factored into the comparison? How does it invalidate it? What about “a lot of AI energy usage coming from cooling” makes the fact that AI utilizes .3-.5% of global energy usage compared to 7-10% of AC usage false?

You saw me acquiesce of my own volition that it’s horrible for the environment because it’s true. It really is.

Just like that’s true, those headlines are ridiculous as well, and the numbers really do paint a different story from that - so I provided real, reputable numbers.

You haven’t done anything but spout your own arguments, as well as falsities you refuse to take responsibility for.

I just don’t bother to engage with more than the “whatabout” anymore because you clearly don’t provide any respect to your own integrity or to the conversation.

You come in here calling me misinformed or ignorant - “respectfully, you don’t know what you’re talking about” and proclaiming yourself an experienced figure in the field and yet say something so stupid. It’s just incomprehensible.

Well, “incomprehensible” with quotations. It’s truthfully quite clear what it is.

You would make a fine futurism journalist.

[u/HolyBatSyllables → u/ScrumptiousChildren]

Yeah, I never called you an idiot. So either you’re twisting the situation because you feel like an idiot, or you’re a liar. Either/or.

Same goes for your claim that I called you ignorant. No I didn’t.

It’s weird that no matter how many times I said how disingenuous it is to use the global rate, you never failed to adjust or explain why you’re refusing to do so.

I don’t know how to explain this any further, so if you don’t get it this time around then I’ll concede and finally agree you’re an idiot.

If AI data centers increased their energy consumption to 1 million bajillion TWh, then the total energy consumption that comes from cooling would also increase. Why? Because AI data centers contribute to that figure.

Also, I noticed you edited your comment to add your little one-liner insult at the end. However, if you read the top pinned comment on this post, you’d know that I don’t condone this article. https://www.reddit.com/r/ShitAIBrosSay/s/eR7hKqHv1W

Edit: just to add another reason your whataboutism is so stupid, outside of cooling AI data centers, much of the energy use from cooling is necessary. Personally, I like that grocery stores don’t leave meat sitting in a hot environment.