Implications of Artificial Intelligence–Related Data Center Electricity Use and Emissions: Proceedings of a Workshop

By: Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences and Board on Energy and Environmental Systems and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change

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Synopsis: In recent years, the global adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has spurred significant construction and investment in new data centers and cloud computing. These data centers require large-scale continuous power, posing challenges for local electric grids and broader climate goals. To explore how to map, measure, and mitigate the impacts of AI data center electricity usage, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened the workshop Implications of Artificial Intelligence-Related Data Center Electricity Use and Emissions in Washington, DC, on November 12-13, 2024. Organized through the National Academies Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change, the event gathered more than 95 in-person and more than 350 virtual participants from academia, the technology industry, electric utilities, community advocacy groups, and government agencies to discuss how recent AI developments could impact energy demands, identify options to mitigate increased electricity use and emissions, and consider regional implications related to data center siting and renewable resource availability. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.