Study: US and UK data centers now use 6% electricity
Technology
A new study says data centers in the US and UK now use about 6% of their countries' electricity, way higher than the global average of 2%.
Thanks to booming AI and internet tech, global energy use from data centers jumped 15% in just two years.
Data center spending almost $1 trillion
Data center spending is almost $1 trillion a year, nearly 1% of the world's economy.
In the UK data center power demand could quadruple by 2030, even as energy shortages and grid delays pile up.
Greenpeace warns that unchecked AI growth could mean higher bills, more fossil fuel reliance, and water stress.
Plus, "zombie" services waste loads of power in US data centers (about 13%), while recent attacks abroad highlight how vulnerable these facilities are.