UN report: Data centers' energy use rivals most countries, set to double by 2028 as AI grows

The environmental footprint of data centers already rivals some of the world's largest countries, according to a United Nations University report.

Last year, global data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries of the world.

The report also predicts their water and energy use and pollution will double in just four years as use of artificial intelligence grows.

That electricity use produced about 208 million tons (189 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide, about the same amount as Argentina.