ABC News Daily Why your AI questions are a power and water drain
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Jun 29, 2025 Join Gordon Noble, Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, as he sheds light on the hidden energy costs of AI. He discusses how our everyday AI interactions contribute to significant energy and water consumption, which poses risks to the environment. Gordon analyzes the rising energy demands of data centers and their impact on climate change, while proposing sustainable solutions like recycled water. He emphasizes the need for a national strategy to balance AI’s potential with its environmental footprint.
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AI's High Energy Demand
- AI tools like ChatGPT use about 10 times more energy than a typical Google search.
- The massive growth of data centers globally is the main factor behind this increased energy use.
Data Center Scale and Location
- Hyperscale data centers are huge, often around 10,000 square feet, with some campuses nearing a million square feet.
- Sydney is a major hub with over 85 data centers connected by 12 submarine cables to the world.
Data Center Impact on Energy Grids
- Data centers consume about 1.5% of global electricity with regional concentration causing grid strain.
- Australia's data center electricity use may rise from 5% to as much as 15% of national consumption by 2030.