A new United Nations University report finds that global data centers already consume more electricity than all but 10 countries. In 2025, they used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity and produced about 208 million metric tons of CO2, comparable to Argentina's emissions. Water use for cooling reached 4.5 trillion liters. By 2030, energy use is projected to double, with data centers accounting for nearly 3% of global electricity. AI is a major driver, currently responsible for 20% of data center energy use, expected to reach 40% by 2030. A single ChatGPT query uses about 200 times more energy than a basic spam filter. The report notes that companies often lack transparency about their consumption. It suggests users can reduce AI energy use by being more concise, cutting word count by 30% could lower energy by 25%.
