Researchers estimate the public health cost of data centres in the US could exceed $20 billion by 2030 – Interesting Engineering
As the demand for artificial intelligence (AI) continues to rise, so does the energy required by data centers to support these technologies. However, the increased energy consumption comes at a cost: a surge in emissions of harmful air pollutants.
This issue, which is already affecting public health, is expected to worsen. By 2030, data centers in the US could contribute to 600,000 asthma cases and 1,300 premature deaths annually. This would account for more than a third of all asthma-related deaths in the country.
According to Shaolei Ren from the University of California, Riverside, the effects of airborne pollution are widespread.
Ren explains.
Public health impacts are direct and tangible impacts on people, and these impacts are substantial and not limited to a small radius of where data centers operate,
Pollution from these facilities can travel long distances, meaning that the health impacts of increasing emissions will not be confined to the immediate area of the data centers but will affect people across the country.
The role of fossil fuels in data center energy use
Ren and his colleague Adam Wierman at the California Institute of Technology calculated these alarming projections based on the energy demands of data centers. Many data centers in the US still rely on fossil fuels, which release harmful air pollutants.
One example is the fine particulate matter, a known health hazard. According to their research, the electricity required to train a single large AI model could produce enough pollutants to be equivalent to driving a passenger car for over 10,000 roundtrips between Los Angeles and New York City.
To evaluate the full scale of these health impacts, the researchers used a tool provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They estimated that by 2030, data centers will create a national public health cost that could exceed $20 billion.
This figure is twice as high as the public health cost of the US steel industry and may even rival the health impact of emissions from the millions of vehicles in the largest states, such as California.
Local and nationwide health costs
The health impact of energy-hungry data centers is already being felt in local communities. In Virginia’s Data Center Alley, for example, backup gas-powered generators are causing an estimated 14,000 cases of asthma symptoms.
The public health cost from these emissions is between $220 million and $300 million per year, even if the generators are operating at just 10 percent of the allowable pollution level.
If they were operating at the maximum level allowed by state authorities, the total health cost could surge to between $2 billion and $3 billion annually. The effects of these emissions are not limited to local residents but extend to people in other states, including Florida.
While some tech companies are taking steps to mitigate these impacts by supporting low-emission energy sources and investing in renewable energy projects and nuclear power, many data centers still rely heavily on fossil fuels.
Previous research indicates that by 2030, data centers could increase the US demand for natural gas to a level similar to the energy consumption of New York State or California.
Future research and concerns
Benjamin Lee, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, says :
The question around the health impacts of artificial intelligence and data center computing is an important one,
Lee acknowledges that the study is the first to estimate these costs and express them in financial terms.
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However, he also stresses the need for further research to validate the estimates and assumptions behind the study’s findings.
As data centers continue to expand to meet the needs of AI, addressing the environmental and public health consequences will become increasingly critical.
The ongoing reliance on fossil fuels for energy production remains a major challenge, but renewable and nuclear power options offer potential solutions.
Continued research will be essential to fully understand the extent of these impacts and to develop strategies for minimizing harm to public health.
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Researchers estimate the public health cost of data centres in the US could exceed $20 billion by 2030 – Interesting Engineering, source
