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Introduction

In recent years, the global adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has spurred significant construction and investment in new data centers and cloud computing.¹ These data centers require large-scale continuous power, posing challenges for local electric grids and broader climate goals. To explore how to map, measure, and mitigate the impacts of AI data center electricity usage, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened the workshop Implications of Artificial Intelligence-Related Data Center Electricity Use and Emissions in Washington, DC, on November 12–13, 2024. Organized through the National Academies’ Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change, the event gathered more than 95 in-person and more than 350 virtual participants to discuss how recent AI developments could impact energy demands, identify options to mitigate increased electricity use and emissions, and consider regional implications related to data center siting and renewable resource availability.

In opening remarks, workshop planning committee chair Benjamin C. Lee, University of Pennsylvania, described the event’s overarching goal of fostering ongoing discussions, shared learning, and coordination as stakeholders from academia, industry, utilities, community advocacy groups, and government agencies work to understand and mitigate the technical, social, behavioral, and environmental impacts of AI data centers and their

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¹ Cloud computing refers to the provision of computing services such as databases, storage, networking, and analytics on-demand over the Internet.

unique energy needs. He said that both technical and policy solutions will be needed to mitigate these large energy demands and their associated carbon emissions and impacts on local communities. Even as data centers pose new challenges for the electric power grid, he added that AI technologies can also potentially aid efforts to improve the grid and accelerate decarbonization goals by facilitating efficiency improvements both in data centers and across the economy more broadly.

Over the 2-day workshop, participants examined current trends and available evidence along with various sources of uncertainty and complexity relevant to emerging issues at the intersection of electric utilities and AI data centers. Three keynote speakers reviewed the state of the evidence on data center energy use, their projected power use and implications for the grid, and opportunities to achieve greater efficiency through technology advancements. In five panel discussions, experts considered trends and future use cases for AI; challenges and opportunities in data center infrastructure and hardware–software interactions; and the implications of data centers for the grid, sustainability goals, and local economies and communities. A fireside chat offered a venue for utility system operators to share their perspectives and experiences. In the event’s closing session, planning committee members offered reflections on the issues discussed during the workshop and considered the roles of various stakeholders in contributing to solutions going forward. The workshop’s statement of task is provided in Appendix A, the agenda is in Appendix B, and the planning committee and speaker biographies are found in Appendix C. Recordings and other materials are available at the workshop website.² This proceedings summarizes the workshop presentations and discussions based on transcripts and recordings from the event and does not represent the views of the National Academies.

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² National Academies, n.d., “Implications of Artificial Intelligence-Related Data Center Electricity Use and Emissions: A Workshop,” https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/implications-of-artificial-intelligence-related-data-center-electricity-use-and-emissions-a-workshop, accessed April 21, 2025.