Over the past year, my research has first highlighted the rapidly growing power demand of AI systems, followed by an assessment of the associated carbon and water footprints. My latest research addresses another, often overlooked consequence of the expanding AI infrastructure: electronic waste.

Over the past year, my research has first highlighted the rapidly growing power demand of AI systems, followed by an assessment of the associated carbon and water footprints. My latest research addresses another, often overlooked consequence of the expanding AI infrastructure: electronic waste.

Let’s start the year by reflecting on the colossal growth in the resource consumption of AI and what it means for 2026. At the start of 2025, the worldwide power demand of AI systems was approximately 9.4 GW. By the end of the year, this demand had likely increased to around 23 GW.

Let’s start the year by reflecting on the colossal growth in the resource consumption of AI and what it means for 2026. At the start of 2025, the worldwide power demand of AI systems was approximately 9.4 GW. By the end of the year, this demand had likely increased to around 23 GW.

The UK’s largest planned data centre—a project by US firm QTS—is understating its true water consumption by a factor of 50, says new analysis by @watershed-i.bsky.social & @aiarmsracebook.bsky.social @digiconomist.bsky.social No mistake; AI is a heavy, polluting industry. shorturl.at/KXQxJ

HEY friends: recently seen heaps of "disclosures" from AI companies of the energy cost per question you type into chatbots (most recently from Google)? Presenting per-query 'efficiency' is part of big tech's efforts to hide its extremely real and happening-right-now climate impacts! NEW POST -->>>

It also ignores that Google’s total power demand has gone up by a massive 50% over the past two years (driven by AI) despite all the reported efficiency gains (a classic Jevons’ paradox).

Google released some new data on the environmental impact Gemini AI prompts, but omitted so many details you can hardly consider it useful. Instead, it does paint an overly rosy picture of the impact concerned.

Google released some new data on the environmental impact Gemini AI prompts, but omitted so many details you can hardly consider it useful. Instead, it does paint an overly rosy picture of the impact concerned.

Bitcoin mining has been nothing more than a huge energy waste in past years. Now AI is about to surpass Bitcoin’s power demand. Emerging tech is rapidly driving up the power demand of worldwide digital infrastructure with the inevitable consequence being strained power grids and more fossil fuel use

Microsoft’s sustainability report that covers 2024 is now available - and it contains some interesting highlights so let’s dive in! blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issue...

The Verge covering my latest research on the power demand of AI and how this is likely to soon surpass another energy hog in the digital space: Bitcoin mining. www.theverge.com/climate-chan...

Microsoft’s sustainability report that covers 2024 is now available - and it contains some interesting highlights so let’s dive in! blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issue...

The Verge covering my latest research on the power demand of AI and how this is likely to soon surpass another energy hog in the digital space: Bitcoin mining. www.theverge.com/climate-chan...

AI power demand is rising rapidly while boosting carbon emissions, but of course we’re being told not to worry about it because “some other AI will magically solve all climate challenges soon™️.” Emerging tech is in urgent need of a healthy dose of accountability. www.sfexaminer.com/news/technol...

“Data centre blitz threatens Labour’s net zero hopes” Tech companies are desperately looking for power as AI is generating a huge new demand. This extra power demand will boost reliance on fossil fuels and threatens to undermine climate goals. Read the full Telegraph article: archive.is/pAQpY

“Data centre blitz threatens Labour’s net zero hopes” Tech companies are desperately looking for power as AI is generating a huge new demand. This extra power demand will boost reliance on fossil fuels and threatens to undermine climate goals. Read the full Telegraph article: archive.is/pAQpY

Bitcoin mining has been nothing more than a huge energy waste in past years. Now AI is about to surpass Bitcoin’s power demand. Emerging tech is rapidly driving up the power demand of worldwide digital infrastructure with the inevitable consequence being strained power grids and more fossil fuel use

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming the largest energy hog within worldwide digital infrastructure. By the end of 2025, AI systems could be responsible for half of total data center power demand - up from about 20% per the end of last year. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming the largest energy hog within worldwide digital infrastructure. By the end of 2025, AI systems could be responsible for half of total data center power demand - up from about 20% per the end of last year. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

As a result, if you’re in London and want to send money to New York, environmentally you’d theoretically be better off taking the plane to manually deliver a bag of cash than sending a Bitcoin transaction. 1 BTC txn on avg consumes as much power as a US household over 1.5 months.

In case you’re wondering when the environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin started; this discussion already started weeks after BTC launched. Today marks 16 years of inaction by the Bitcoin community in addressing this massive problem.

Stock market crash: AI bubble collapsing on concerns AI is not as wasteful as previously assumed

In case you’re wondering when the environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin started; this discussion already started weeks after BTC launched. Today marks 16 years of inaction by the Bitcoin community in addressing this massive problem.

Stock market crash: AI bubble collapsing on concerns AI is not as wasteful as previously assumed

If transparency threatens your industry, then there might be something wrong with your industry.

If transparency threatens your industry, then there might be something wrong with your industry.

Google's latest environmental report has everybody talking about the energy demands of AI again, as Google is drifting away from meeting its environmental targets due to "increased data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions."

Fueling the AI boom with renewable energy is already proving to be a challenge, but even if succesful the planet is not neccesarily better off. Using our limited renewable energy to feed a rapidly growing number of AI servers will simply lead to increased fossil fuel consumption elsewhere.

Fueling the AI boom with renewable energy is already proving to be a challenge, but even if succesful the planet is not neccesarily better off. Using our limited renewable energy to feed a rapidly growing number of AI servers will simply lead to increased fossil fuel consumption elsewhere.

The AI hype only just arrived and it has already ruined Microsoft’s climate plan for the current decade archive.is/kJRvG

Folks should stop being delusional about AI reaching singularity and start worrying about the very real impact artificial intelligence is having on the world today. www.newyorker.com/news/daily-c...

Folks should stop being delusional about AI reaching singularity and start worrying about the very real impact artificial intelligence is having on the world today. www.newyorker.com/news/daily-c...

It is well known that replacing the energy intensive mining mechanism in cryptocurrencies can make them more sustainable, but it has also been argued this can make them less decentralized/secure. Digiconomist now features a new deep dive to examine this argument: digiconomist.net/cryptocurren...

“Arch-nemesis of Crypto now targets AI” www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/...

The carbon footprint of a single Bitcoin transaction likely exceeded 350 kilograms of CO2. This is about half the per person CO2 emissions of a flight from London to New York. This is the outcome of a single transaction, on average, consuming as much power as an avg US household consumes in a month.

Now that Bitcoin ETFs have been approved, let's recap the colossal waste of resources in BTC mining over the past year. During 2023, Bitcoin's proof-of-useless-work mechanism consumed almost as much electricity as the entire traditional financial sector combined.

Now that Bitcoin ETFs have been approved, let's recap the colossal waste of resources in BTC mining over the past year. During 2023, Bitcoin's proof-of-useless-work mechanism consumed almost as much electricity as the entire traditional financial sector combined.

A week after The Wall Street Journal reported on my research regarding the water footprint of Bitcoin mining, the WSJ is now covering my other recent research concerning the growing energy footprint of AI. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-e...

A week after The Wall Street Journal reported on my research regarding the water footprint of Bitcoin mining, the WSJ is now covering my other recent research concerning the growing energy footprint of AI. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-e...

Every Bitcoin transaction uses, on average, enough water to fill "a back yard swimming pool" - BBC reporting on my latest study regarding BTC’s water footprint www.bbc.co.uk/news/technol...

Every Bitcoin transaction uses, on average, enough water to fill "a back yard swimming pool" - BBC reporting on my latest study regarding BTC’s water footprint www.bbc.co.uk/news/technol...

New study: Artificial intelligence (AI) is energy-intensive technology. If not managed properly, AI could be responsible for as much electricity consumption as countries such as the Netherlands, Argentina and Sweden in just a few years’ time. doi.org/10.1016/j.jo...

Here’s a massive problem with AI. A more robust model performs better and bigger models are always more robust. At the same time, making models bigger also requires additional processing power. Making AI more efficient may only result in even bigger models. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Here’s a massive problem with AI. A more robust model performs better and bigger models are always more robust. At the same time, making models bigger also requires additional processing power. Making AI more efficient may only result in even bigger models. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

New study: Artificial intelligence (AI) is energy-intensive technology. If not managed properly, AI could be responsible for as much electricity consumption as countries such as the Netherlands, Argentina and Sweden in just a few years’ time. doi.org/10.1016/j.jo...

Testing. Bitcoin is an environmental disaster.