UN report warns AI data centers to triple electricity use by 2030

A United Nations‑affiliated study warns that the rapid expansion of artificial‑intelligence (AI) infrastructure will dramatically increase demand for electricity, water and land. By 2030, data centres that support AI tools are projected to consume about 945 terawatt‑hours of electricity annually – roughly three times the combined yearly use of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Water use could reach 9.3 trillion litres a year, an amount comparable to the basic domestic needs of the entire sub‑Saharan African population (about 1.3 billion people). The land footprint required may exceed 14,500 km², nearly twice the size of Jakarta’s metropolitan area.

The report notes that 80‑90 % of AI‑related energy is spent during the inference phase, when models answer user queries. For example, ChatGPT processes around 2.5 billion prompts daily, which would correspond to about 383 gigawatt‑hours of electricity each year. Video‑generation models are especially power‑hungry. Researchers call for governments, companies and users to adopt more responsible practices to curb these hidden environmental costs.