UN Researchers Project AI Will Double Data Centre Power and Water Usage by 2030
A United Nations report released on June 4, 2026, projects that the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence will double its consumption of electricity and water by 2030. Lead author Kaveh Madani emphasizes that AI relies on physical systems, including data centres and cooling networks, rather than existing solely as digital software.
A report published by United Nations researchers on June 4, 2026, details the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence, categorizing the technology as physical infrastructure rather than just software. According to lead author Kaveh Madani, the growth of AI systems requires extensive deployment of data centres, chips, and transmission networks, all of which contribute to rising demand for power and water.
The study projects that the energy and water requirements for these data centres will double by 2030. The infrastructure involves:
- Power requirements: Electricity for operating high-performance chips and transmission networks.
- Water demand: Liquid resources consumed by cooling systems necessary to regulate data centre temperatures.
- Physical components: Reliance on minerals, land, and electricity generation systems to support AI growth.
The report argues that the public discourse on AI often overlooks these material and environmental costs, which span from electricity generation to the extraction of minerals required for hardware production.
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