The Cost of AI

An image depicting a server room on one side, and a river drought on the other side. (Images provided by Shutterstock and Adobe Stock)

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AI is everywhere we look. From search engines, advertisements, programing, and even art, Artificial Intelligence has a grasp on the modern world.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be simplified into a single definition, as there are many, many different types. However, the basics can be summed up “Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform complex tasks normally done by human-reasoning, decision making, creating, etc.” (NASA)

An aerial view of Microsoft’s new AI datacenter campus in Mt Pleasant, Wisconsin. (Image provided by Microsoft)

AI data centers are giant structures used to contain and maintain large amounts of computers and other AI components. “The new Fairwater AI datacenter in Wisconsin stands as a remarkable feat of engineering, covering 315 acres and housing three massive buildings with a combined 1.2 million square feet under roofs. Constructing this facility required 46.6 miles of deep foundation piles, 26.5 million pounds of structural steel, 120 miles of medium-voltage underground cable and 72.6 miles of mechanical piping” (Guthrie). Not only are these centers massive, so is their cost

The Consequences

However, while AI has its uses, these giant data centers come at a massive cost. “A medium-sized data center can consume up to roughly 110 million gallons of water per year for cooling purposes, equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 1,000 households. Larger data centers can each “drink” up to 5 million gallons per day, or about 1.8 billion annually, usage equivalent to a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Together, the nation’s 5,426 data centers consume billions of gallons of water annually. One report estimated that U.S. data centers consume 449 million gallons of water per day and 163.7 billion gallons annually (as of 2021)” (Yañez). Not only water is being taken, but other resources such as electricity and the unsustainable cobalt. An excerpt from the UN environment program says “They rely on critical minerals and rare elements, which are often mined unsustainably. And they use massive amounts of electricity, spurring the emission of planet-warming greenhouse gases” (United Nations Environmental Programme). 

Artificial AI has a grasp on the current market, and in that grasp, its fangs are leaking out it’s venom onto our planet

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Works Cited

Guthrie, Scott. “Inside the world’s most powerful AI datacenter.” Microsoft, 18 September 2025, https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2025/09/18/inside-the-worlds-most-powerful-ai-datacenter/#:~:text=To%20compute%20the%20token%20math,connected%20for%20high%2Dbandwidth%20communication. Accessed 27 February 2026.

United Nations Environmental Programme. “AI has an environmental problem. Here's what the world can do about that.” UNEP, 13 November 2025, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/ai-has-environmental-problem-heres-what-world-can-do-about. Accessed 3 March 2026.

“What is Artificial Intelligence?” NASA, 13 May 2024, https://www.nasa.gov/what-is-artificial-intelligence/. Accessed 27 February 2026.

Yañez, Miguel. “Data Centers and Water Consumption | Article | EESI.” Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 25 June 2025, https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption. Accessed 27 February 2026.

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About the author

Hello! My name is Mellow Carter, I’m in 11th grade, and it’s my first year as a writer for the Poudre High School Press. I write about various forms of electronic media, and school events, hoping to help inform others about the industry and events to not miss out on!