Forward,Faster: The Environmental Dangers of Data Centers and Semiconductor Manufacturing Plantsnological
- Eric Fogle
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Editor-in-Chief: Eric Fogle
few miles northeast of Columbus, New Albany, Ohio has been chosen by Intel as the home for a massive project centered on the development and manufacturing of semiconductors. Semiconductors (think microchips) are essential for the function of smart phones, solar panels, navigation systems, and medical equipment, to name an extremely small sample. They are keys to connectivity.
Intel has invested nearly $30 billion in two semiconductor manufacturing “fabs” as part of a push to domesticate semiconductor manufacturing. Intel, interestingly, both designs and builds its own microchips.
Additionally, Ohio also has more data centers than most other states. Data centers are hubs of many computer servers, which demand staggering amounts of energy and water. While semiconductor fabs and data centers are not identical, both are monuments of tech Forward,
Faster: The Environmental Dangers of Data Centers and Semiconductor Manufacturing Plantsnological innovation, and both implicate monumental environmental concerns.
While projects of the sort will provide construction jobs, on-site employment, and potentially large boosts to the economy, energy usage has considerable environmental costs. With commentary from CSU|LAW Environmental Society President Mark Bank’s commentary, this column focuses on the environmental demands of technological innovation, specifically semiconductor fabs data centers.
In 2022, the Biden administration signed in the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act. The Act simultaneously recognized an increasing demand for energy use and consumption, sought to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers, and increase domestic participation in the market.
“Electricity demand is rising at unprecedented rates, with data centers being the biggest driver,” Bank says. “By 2030, Ohio’s data centers are projected
to use 11% of all electricity consumed in our state, doubling its share today of 5.3%.” Largely driven by data centers, the commercial sector recently surpassed the residential sector as the largest electricity consumer in Ohio.
In addition to electricity demands, greenhouse gas emissions have also been on the rise at some of the largest technology companies. “Over the last five years, greenhouse gas emissions jumped nearly 50% at Google, 33% at Amazon, 23% at Microsoft, and over 60% at Meta,” Bank says. “Big tech companies with climate goals are setting them aside for now, banking on generative AI producing massive efficiency gains across energy-intensive economic sectors.” It doesn’t make much business sense to curb production for a yet-unrealized cost. Companies can consider sustainable practices or efforts to reduce energy consumption but if such efforts are adverse to progress or profit, those same companies may be reluctant to implement those practices.
From the beginning of the century until around 2017, energy demand increased but the efficiency of energy processing also increased. Then A.I. came along. With the advent of A.I., data centers were built around A.I, featuring equipment that was energy-intensive enough for A.I. Efficiency hit a standstill, and data center electricity consumption ballooned. As A.I becomes more personalized, better able to discern how it can help you, its energy footprint will continue to grow.
Whether a user needs help with homework, “spellchecking” (read: drafting) an essay, studying for a final, each query posed to the many popular generative A.I. applications adds to a growing data demand. The energy must come from somewhere. Unfortunately, the consequences of seemingly innocuous queries likely won’t be appreciated until they can no longer be avoided.
“Community activists and state legislators should be pushing for greater transparency and increased public engagement from developers,” Bank suggests. “As eager as we are to lead the world in AI, we must address the cost it will have to our waters, air, and climate.”
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