Did you know IEA Report: AI Won't Worsen Climate Change, But Data Center Energy Usage Must Be Managed

 

According to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), AI will not worsen climate change even though it produces a large amount of carbon emissions. The report talked about energy usage by AI and said that electrical grids aren't ready for the growth of data centers, but we can reduce their energy usage.

The IEA recommended that companies should change the location of their data centers because almost half of the data centers in the USA are located in only five regional clusters. If we want to ease the pressure on the power grid, it is recommended that data centers be built in areas that have more grid capacity and more power for their energy usage. A recent study by Duke University suggested that authorities should consider using on-site generators to support any energy needs by data centers, and this report also said that data centers should operate more flexibly.

The report also highlighted that if the energy sector cannot keep up with this adaptation, the growing demand for data centers would hinder many goals, like manufacturing expansion, electrification, and the affordability of electricity.

Even though AI isn't worsening climate change, it cannot solve the climate crisis alone. The report said that the use of AI tools could reduce carbon emissions more than the emissions generated by data centers. Microsoft has also recently announced that it is stopping its early-stage data center projects in Wisconsin and Ohio, and this can reduce or delay the emissions that are tied to the construction of new data centers.