How much energy & water does AI use?

💥 “I heard every AI image generated uses as much energy as a full iPhone charge.”

Like many I’m excited about the power of gen AI to speed up innovation, reduce wasted effort, and open up new opportunities, especially for solving climate and nature challenges.

🌍 But the impact of this tech on our planet — especially its energy and water footprint — is a growing baby elephant in the AI room/boom.

Or is it?

As often on complex sustainability questions I found Hannah Ritchie's (Our World in Data) clear and helpful:

🔋 Yes, AI’s electricity demand is rising fast. Projections suggest it could double Google's total energy use or match the output of entire countries like the Netherlands.

💧 It also uses a lot of water, mostly in cooling data centres.

But Hannah goes onto say...

"Data centres use around 1 to 2% of the world’s electricity. When cryptocurrency is included, it’s around 2%."

"You might wonder how these estimates can be so low when the demand for AI itself is booming. Well, the efficiency of data centres has also been improving rapidly."

"Energy demand will grow. But possibly less than many assume."

Read Hannah’s full post.

Then there's this perspective from Michael Liebreich at BloombergNEF:

“If AI helps bring forward the electrification of heating, transport and industry by a single year, that would more than offset any negative climate impact from its own relatively limited power demand.”

Michael's essay (via Jamie Matthews)

In other words: ⚡ AI can be a power-hungry monster or a power-for-good multiplier. It depends on how we use it.

🔧 So what can we do practically as creators, founders, and strategists?

Here’s what I’m focusing on:

Use AI for climate action
Choose use cases that reduce emissions, speed up transitions, or protect nature (not just make shiny content).

Be energy-conscious in content creation
Generating videos, 3D images, and heavy prompts? Be selective. Think of it like flying: do it with purpose.

Support clean compute
Where possible, use platforms or partners that prioritise renewable-powered data centres (check their sustainability commitments).

Offset smarter, not just more
Invest in high-quality carbon removal or rewilding projects with real, lasting impact.

Talk about it
As leaders and builders, we need to stay informed and help shape responsible AI use, not just fast AI use.

I’m hopeful...
With smart choices, transparency, and pressure on Big Tech to clean up their act, AI can be a massive accelerant for climate solutions, not a new source of guilt.

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If you'd like to get 'Good with AI' so you can use these tools for positive impact, join one of Cien Solon and my April workshops.

If you're looking for great climate and nature solutions using AI, check out Raaise

If I can help your org on this topic, let me know!