Burning Bright: AI’s Energy Footprint and the Global Cost
The emergence of AI is generating an unprecedented hunger for electricity, fundamentally reshaping global energy consumption. The International Energy Agency projects that data center electricity consumption will double to 945 terawatt hours by 2030, growing at 15% annually, four times faster than all other sectors combined. As AI models grow exponentially larger, so do their power requirements.
This surge in demand is creating stark global inequalities. The United States and China account for nearly 80% of data center electricity growth, while over two-thirds of the world’s population in emerging markets have limited access to the digital infrastructure that AI development requires. Meanwhile, CO2 emissions from data centers could reach 320 million tons by 2030, potentially compromising global climate goals.
How can we balance AI’s transformative potential with its massive energy demands? Can we develop AI sustainably while ensuring equitable global access? Join us for a conversation with International Energy Agency lead analysts Siddharth Singh and Thomas Spencer, responsible for the agency’s flagship publication, the World Energy Outlook, to discuss the energy revolution behind artificial intelligence and what it means for our technological and environmental future.
Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle.
Further reading:
- International Energy Agency: “AI is set to drive surging electricity demand from data centres while offering the potential to transform how the energy sector works”
- “Search Engines vs AI: energy consumption compared”, Kanoppi. (2025, February 13).
- The U.S. and China drive data center power consumption, 2025, May 31).
The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.
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