Post

Data centers use 2% of the world’s electricity. There’s a *huge* push to build more for AI. But even the most optimistic growth paths for AI predict it’ll drive less growth in energy demand than electric cars or aircon. It’s significant, but it’s not the biggest thing going on.

transformernews.aiWe’re getting the argument about AI's environmental impact all wrongIndividual ChatGPT queries are a rounding error — we need to think about the future

9/9/25, 4:10 pm8 reposts31 likes

Nathan Fogg

@nathanfogg.bsky.social

9 Sept 2025

Electric cars and air con units are useful though

Lee Taylor

@leetaylorbythesea.bsky.social

9 Sept 2025

At 20:04 on Sunday night, I asked AI about the Radiohead tickets draw. The draw closed at 22:00, AI insisted I had missed the deadline. Telling the time is Primary school stuff

Atom Corolla

@knollie.bsky.social

9 Sept 2025

If only there existed some replicable, portable, organic source of energy all the AI centers could utilize to keep themselves running....

Iain Fletcher

@shmmeee.bsky.social

9 Sept 2025

Energy use shouldn’t be our limiter anyway. There’s no reason if we have a clean grid why we should restrict energy usage.

Keith Barnett

@captaincornflake.co.uk

9 Sept 2025

I don't know the numbers, but my gut feel is the demands for water will be more of an issue

Andrew Jones

@arj2024.bsky.social

9 Sept 2025

Water usage in data centres isn't much of a concern in the UK due to its climate, but it does become a significant issue in the hot desert regions found in the USA.

Keith Barnett

@captaincornflake.co.uk

9 Sept 2025

That might be the case in large swathes of the country, but they want to build lots of them in the south East which already has shortages?

Andrew Jones

@arj2024.bsky.social

9 Sept 2025

UK data centres use minimal water since the air temperature alone is usually enough to provide cooling, eliminating the need for additional evaporative cooling.