"Bit barns need a lot of power to operate and, as hyperscalers look for ways to generate it, they are adding more dirty energy in the form of new gas turbines. One estimate says that these new power sources could add another 44 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by 2030, equivalent to the annual emissions of 10 million private cars."
"This figure comes from nonprofit social justice organization Truthout, and highlights the extent of the extra greenhouse gas emissions that are set to be released in order to satisfy the compute requirements of the current AI craze, particularly in the US. AI training has created an almost inexhaustible demand for compute, resulting in a datacenter building boom to meet that requirement. This has knock-on effects on the energy grid, with extra infrastructure and generating capacity being required to service all those facilities:"
Datacenters require large amounts of power, and hyperscalers are adding on-site gas turbines. Estimates indicate these additions could produce about 44 million tons of CO2 by 2030, equal to emissions of 10 million private cars. AI training has driven explosive compute demand, creating a datacenter construction boom that strains the electricity grid. Utilities and operators are adding generation and infrastructure capacity, often via gas turbines because they are quickest to deploy. Supply shortages have led some operators to repurpose aircraft engines, while companies like Boom Supersonic and Meta deploy turbine solutions and combined-cycle plants.
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