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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Petra Stock

The environmental cost of datacentres is rising. Is it time to quit AI?

Hands holding smartphone with graphic overlay
Studies suggest generative AI consumes ‘orders of magnitude’ more energy than traditional computing. Composite: Getty Images

It’s only a few years on from the release of ChatGPT but the race to plug artificial intelligence into everything has sparked a surge in datacentres, with escalating environmental costs.

Globally, datacentre power demand is growing four times faster than all other sectors, according to the International Energy Agency, and is on track to exceed Japan’s electricity use by 2030.

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