The cost of artificial intelligence: environmental catastrophe

By Cal Sutton and Jorge Cevallos

Data centers have emerged at an unprecedented rate, and without proper planning, their emergence could lead to an economic disaster, all while costing the taxpayer more money on their energy bill, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

PJM grid, an independent market monitor that serves New Jersey, says data centers are responsible for 63% of the cost increase in the most recent capacity auction and will continue to cause record-high costs for electricity in the next decade. 

This translates to roughly $9.3 billion in higher electric rates, according to PJM.

According to a map that locates data centers in New Jersey, published by South Jersey Climate News, there are currently 80 active data centers in the state, with more planned and on the way.

The average data center, powered by artificial intelligence in New Jersey requires approximately 100 megawatts of power, equivalent to powering an estimated 80,000 homes in the United States.

AI data centers are cooled with clean water, which is necessary so as to not bring sediment and minerals through the delicate processors that run the center, according to an article published by The Delaware River Keeper Network, an organization that focuses on topics relating to the decisions that impact the health of the Delaware River Watershed waterways at the federal level. 

Energy costs are not the only thing that individuals are worried about, as the less-obvious environmental cost of data centers can be unprecedented. 

Daniel Druckenbrod, a professor of environmental science and chair of the Department of Natural and Health Sciences, said that the energy required to fuel a data center can be detrimental to the environment.

“These issues largely fall within an area that environmental scientists refer to as the ‘Food-Energy-Water Nexus’ or FEW Nexus,” Druckenbrod said. “Our use of these three kinds of resources are often interconnected and it presents challenges to sustainably manage our environment and the ecosystem benefits that our environment provides.” 

These environmental consequences are already beginning to take a toll in parts of New Jersey. 

More recently, an article published by News 12 New Jersey says that a computer glitch caused a leak at a Data Center which then spilled 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel into a tributary of the Hackensack River, only 58 miles away from Rider by car.

This also highlights the underrisk of relying solely on technology that has been rolled out at the rate Americans have not seen since the Industrial Revolution. 

“Data centers require a lot of energy … the sources of that energy may vary by location, but when they include fossil fuels — such as natural gas, coal, diesel or oil — then they could also impact the atmosphere through air pollution and the release of additional greenhouse gases,” Druckenbrod said. 

Gabriela Smalley, an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Chemical Sciences said that AI-powered data centers can also have a large impact on freshwater.

“The impact of data centers on freshwater can come from the direct use of water to cool the servers but also from the indirect impact associated with electricity generation,” Smalley said. “In a coastal state like New Jersey, the changes in water flow and water temperature can also affect migratory species as they move from the ocean into rivers or vice versa.”

Water safety, energy costsefficiency and environmental impacts are all topics that can cause concern for New Jersey residents when it comes to the rise in AI data centers across the state.