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    Short WaveWhat's The Environmental Cost Of AI?
    15 minEpisode 1269

    What's The Environmental Cost Of AI?

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    By 2028, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory forecasts that U.S. data centers could use as much as 12% of the nation's electricity. The reason: generative AI. Since 2022, AI innovation by four leading tech companies — Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon — has led to annual increases in both energy and water consumption. So, in this episode, Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong probes huge water footprint of AI.

    P.S. Part 2 talks about the leading solutions in the green AI movement. So don't miss our Friday episode!

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    © NPRLength 15 min7 May 2025Episode 1269ScienceFactsEducationalUSAEpisodic

    Introducing Short Wave

    Introducing Short Wave

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    11+ScienceFactsEducationalUSAEpisodic7 May 2025© NPR

    By 2028, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory forecasts that U.S. data centers could use as much as 12% of the nation's electricity. The reason: generative AI. Since 2022, AI innovation by four leading tech companies — Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon — has led to annual increases in both energy and water consumption. So, in this episode, Short Wave co-host Emily Kwong probes huge water footprint of AI. We begin with the rise of data centers, then look at how computers came to need so much water and, finally, what tech companies are doing to try to turn the ship around.

    P.S. Part 2 talks about the leading solutions in the green AI movement. So don't miss our Friday episode!

    Curious about tech and the environment? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!

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