Artificial intelligence has developed rapidly in recent years, with tech companies investing billions of dollars in data centers to help train and run AI models. The expansion of data centers has raised questions on several fronts, including the effect these facilities may have on energy and the environment as the United States seeks an edge in the global AI race.
In this analysis, we'll take a closer look at data centers and what we know about their potential impact in these areas.
Data centers are large buildings that house rows of computer servers, data storage systems and networking equipment, as well as the power and cooling systems that keep them running. This infrastructure is essential for companies that provide digital services. Whenever you send an email, stream your favorite TV show, save a family photo to “the cloud” or ask a chatbot a question, you’re interacting with a data center. While data centers have been around for decades, they have quickly expanded in recent years to support increasingly popular generative AI models.
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