Implications of Artificial Intelligence–Related Data Center Electricity Use and Emissions: Proceedings of a Workshop (2025)
Chapter: Front Matter
Proceedings of a Workshop
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This activity was supported by Google, the Heising-Simon Foundation, IBM, Microsoft, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, the William and Floral Hewlett Foundation, and a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-99204-6
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/29101
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Implications of Artificial Intelligence-Related Data Center Electricity Use and Emissions: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/29101.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR IMPLICATIONS OF Artificial Intelligence-Related Data CENTER ELECTRICITY USE AND EMISSIONS: A WORKSHOP
BENJAMIN C. LEE, University of Pennsylvania, Chair
AYSE COSKUN, Boston University
BENJAMIN KROPOSKI, Power Systems Engineering Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
ERIC MASANET, University of California, Santa Barbara
PRASHANT SHENOY, University of Massachusetts Amherst
CAROLE-JEAN WU, Meta
Staff
KASIA KORNECKI, Senior Program Officer
JASMINE VICTORIA BRYANT, Research Associate
NNEKA UDEAGBALA, Associate Program Officer
K. JOHN HOLMES, Senior Board Director/Scholar
BOARD ON ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS
SUSAN F. TIERNEY, Analysis Group, Chair
NOËL BAKHTIAN, Bezos Earth Fund
LOUISE BEDSWORTH, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
PAULA GLOVER, Alliance to Save Energy
DENISE GRAY (NAE), LG Energy Solution Michigan
COLETTE D. HONORABLE, Exelon Corporation
JOHN G. KASSAKIAN (NAE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
DEBRA LEW, Energy Systems Integration Group
CARLOS MARTÍN, Harvard University
JOSE G. SANTIESTEBAN (NAE), ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (retired)
LOUIS SCHICK, Clean Energy Ventures
GORDON VAN WELIE (NAE), ISO New England
DAVID G. VICTOR, University of California, San Diego
Staff
K. JOHN HOLMES, Senior Director and Scholar
ELIZABETH ZEITLER, Associate Board Director
BRENT HEARD, Senior Program Officer
KASIA KORNECKI, Senior Program Officer
CATHERINE WISE, Senior Program Officer
REBECCA DEBOER, Research Associate
JASMINE VICTORIA BRYANT, Research Associate
KAIA RUSSELL, Senior Program Assistant
JAVED KHAN, Financial Manager
Reviewers
This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by JUAN MORENO-CRUZ, University of Waterloo. He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.
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Contents
2 CONTEXT ON DATA CENTER ENERGY USE AND IMPACTS
3 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES: TRENDS AND FUTURE USE CASES
4 IMPACT OF DATA CENTERS ON THE GRID
5 SUSTAINABILITY ANALYSIS OF DATA CENTERS
6 SOCIETAL CONSIDERATIONS OF DATA CENTER EXPANSION
8 EFFICIENCY THROUGH TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT: HARDWARE–SOFTWARE INTERACTIONS
