How the Massive Power Draw of AI is Overtaxing Our Grid
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Provided by: CNBC|Published on: September 12, 2025
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Synopsis
- In this video, students will understand how the increasing use and development of AI is putting a strain on energy and water resources.
- Students will learn some possible solutions being implemented and discussed, as well as the potential dangers of increasing the demands associated with AI use and development.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering
Authors: CNBC
Region: United States, Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video is very informative about the problems associated with data centers and increasing AI development, without focusing entirely on the doom and gloom.
- Students will be able to hear from a wide variety of experts in the field.
Prerequisites
- Teachers should note that at about 9:07, one of the speakers says the phrase, "...get off our a**..."
- Students should understand climate change, its causes, and potential impacts.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Teachers may want to pause the video periodically to discuss the information introduced.
- After watching this video, teachers can talk about some of the other negative aspects of AI, such as the increased ability to spread misinformation. Teachers can implement a media literacy activity where students will evaluate images and other resources to determine if they are real or AI-generated.
- Teachers can highlight the draw of AI on water resources and ask students to consider why this will be an increasing issue as climate change impacts access to water. Additionally, teachers can relate this to UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation.
- Students can collect data on how often their classmates and teachers use generative AI, like ChatGPT. Given the comparisons in the video, such as the amount of water used for every 10-50 prompts and the amount of energy used for one query, students can create posters to illustrate their school's energy and water use from AI alone.
This resource presents an analysis of both power and water consumption at the data centers necessary for artificial intelligence (AI). Building a more efficient and sustainable infrastructure is the focus throughout, with significant discussion of the carbon footprint of AI. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
