Data centers are also under increasing environmental scrutiny, largely because of the massive amounts of electricity they consume - Photo: DAODUCQUAN/CC BY-SA 4.0.
When you order food, read news, watch videos , or chat with ChatGPT, you're most likely connecting to a data center.
According to the scientific publication Science Feedback , every second, data centers handle thousands of ChatGPT users, along with billions of others who are accessing the Internet, performing tasks, or storing data.
However, data centers are increasingly under scrutiny for their environmental impact, largely due to the massive amounts of electricity they consume.
Where does the data center power come from?
There are more than 9,000 data centers worldwide, with many more planned. Cooling accounts for the bulk of their electricity needs, perhaps as much as a third of total consumption.
Powering a data center is not unlike powering a personal computer. A single data center can consume tens of megawatts—the equivalent of powering an entire town. The International Energy Agency (IEA) tracks the power supply to data centers.
For data center operators, the economic benefits are so great that they are willing to pay a premium for always-available power.
Tech companies would rather pay for expensive, 24/7 electricity than cheap, unreliable electricity, said Jonas Kristiansen Nøland, professor of electrical energy at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
This puts solar and wind power, which do not provide continuous power, at a disadvantage. By 2023, the IEA estimates that data centers will account for 1 to 1.5 percent of global electricity consumption.
According to the 2024 report of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA), global data center electricity consumption has more than doubled compared to 2018, and in the US alone it has increased even more strongly.
In April 2025, the IEA predicted that data centers will continue to grow strongly, accounting for 3% of total global electricity consumption by 2030. Of this, 80% of this increase will come from the US and China.
Can data centers be powered by renewable energy?
It is incorrect to claim that solar and wind cannot power data centers. Today, these two sources of power contribute significantly to the grid that powers data centers.
In addition, the technology of combining solar, wind and battery storage has helped overcome the intermittency of renewable sources.
When there is sun or wind, excess electricity is stored in batteries for use when there is no electricity generation. Some data centers have already adopted this storage system.
In theory, data centers could also promote renewable energy development through long-term power purchase agreements, creating a stable source of finance for clean energy projects.
In addition, a number of technology companies are also investing in the development of new generation nuclear reactors.
Some scientists believe AI could help boost renewable energy or improve efficiency in other areas.
Mr. Anthony Harding, assistant professor of economics at Georgia Tech University (USA), said that AI technologies can help improve energy efficiency or reduce carbon emissions, thereby supporting more effective integration of renewable energy sources.
AI and advanced technologies increase power consumption
Experts say artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the main reasons for the sharp increase in electricity consumption.
The difference with AI is that advanced models are trained and run on high-end chips that are much more powerful than previous generations, but also consume more power.
AI data centers often integrate large numbers of chips, arranged at high density, further increasing the demand for electricity.
A decade ago, data centers were around 10MW in size, says Jonas Kristiansen Nøland. Today, hyperscale centers are reaching 100MW, and tech companies are looking at 1-5GW centers—a single center that can consume more electricity than the entire country of Denmark.
Another source of increased emissions from computers is cryptocurrency mining, which requires “miners” to solve complex mathematical problems. This process consumes a lot of electricity because it requires powerful computers.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cac-trung-tam-du-lieu-ai-khong-the-trong-cay-hoan-toan-vao-nang-luong-tai-tao-20250729105442898.htm
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