Daily Mains Question - GS 3 - 13th August 2025
- TPP
- Aug 13
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 14
Welcome to your daily UPSC Mains Answer Practice! Today’s question delves into the environmental impact of data centres and generative AI technologies—two pillars driving the digital revolution and shaping the future of global economies. As India advances toward becoming a $5 trillion digital economy, the demand for high-performance computing, cloud infrastructure, and AI-driven solutions is surging. However, this technological progress comes at a significant ecological cost. With data centres consuming up to 2% of global electricity and AI models generating carbon emissions equivalent to thousands of vehicles, concerns around energy use, carbon footprint, water scarcity, and electronic waste are becoming increasingly critical.
This question is highly relevant for GS Paper 3 – Environment, Science & Technology, and Climate Change, especially in the context of sustainable development, responsible innovation, and India's commitment to net-zero emissions. As emerging technologies accelerate, the need to align digital infrastructure with environmental stewardship is no longer aspirational—it is imperative.
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QUESTION
Assess the environmental implications of the rapid expansion of data centres and generative AI technologies. Suggest sustainable strategies to minimize their ecological footprint and contribution to global warming.
Answer: The exponential growth of digital technologies, particularly Data Centres and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), has transformed global communication, business, and governance. However, this technological advancement comes with a significant environmental cost, primarily due to high energy consumption, water usage, and carbon emissions.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres consumed around 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2022 — about 2% of global electricity demand, and this is expected to double by 2026. The training of a single large Generative AI model (like GPT-3) can emit over 284 tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to the lifetime emissions of five cars.
Environmental Impact of Data Centres and Generative AI
1. High Energy Consumption
Data centres are energy-intensive, operating 24/7 to support cloud computing, AI model training, and storage.
Example: A single data centre can consume as much electricity as a small city. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is estimated to consume electricity equivalent to 180,000 US households per day.
AI workloads are expected to grow 26-fold by 2028, according to a report by SemiAnalysis.
2. Heat Emissions and Cooling Requirements
Servers generate immense heat, requiring energy-intensive cooling systems.
Even in cold regions like the Nordics, centres emit significant waste heat.
Cooling consumes up to 40% of a data centre’s total energy usage.
3. Carbon Footprint from Fossil Fuels
Many data centres are powered by electricity derived from coal and natural gas, especially in regions with limited renewable infrastructure.
Example: Meta’s and Google’s large-scale AI models (LLaMA and Gemini) are hosted in data centres with a high dependence on non-renewable sources in the US and Asia.
4. Water Usage
Water-based cooling systems use millions of gallons annually.
Example: Data centres in drought-prone states like California consume water that could otherwise be used for agriculture and domestic purposes.
Google’s data centre in The Dalles, Oregon, consumed nearly 274 million gallons of water in 2021 alone.
5. Electronic Waste (E-Waste)
Rapid hardware obsolescence due to AI advancements leads to significant e-waste generation.
Globally, the IT industry contributes to over 50 million tonnes of e-waste annually, and data centres are a major contributor.
Measures to Mitigate Environmental Impact
1. Transition to Renewable Energy
Shifting to solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy can drastically cut emissions.
Example: Google’s data centre in the Netherlands runs almost entirely on wind energy.
Concept: Aligns with UN SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and India’s National Solar Mission.
2. Improved Hardware and Algorithmic Efficiency
Using energy-efficient GPUs, TPUs, and optimised algorithms reduces computing time and power.
Example: NVIDIA’s A100 GPUs offer high throughput with reduced power consumption.
Concept: Promotes Green Computing.
3. Adoption of Liquid Cooling Systems
Liquid immersion and underwater cooling reduce both electricity and water use.
Example: Microsoft’s Natick project placed a data centre underwater off the Scottish coast, utilizing seawater for passive cooling.
4. Locating Centres in Cooler Climates
Siting centres in Arctic or Nordic regions reduces artificial cooling demand.
Example: Facebook’s data centre in Luleå, Sweden, leverages the cold Arctic climate, reducing energy needs by over 50%.
5. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
Integrating CCS with data centres can capture emissions at the source.
Example: Norway’s Northern Lights project is building large-scale infrastructure for industrial CO₂ storage.
Concept: Aligns with IPCC recommendations and the Paris Agreement.
6. Regulatory Frameworks and Industry Collaboration
Strong emissions standards, green certifications, and global pacts are needed.
Example: The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact (2021), backed by the EU, aims to make European data centres carbon-neutral by 2030.
7. Water Conservation and Recycling
Technologies like closed-loop cooling and rainwater harvesting can reduce freshwater dependency.
Example: Google’s data centre in Georgia, USA, uses wastewater from treatment plants for cooling.
8. Circular Economy in Hardware
Encouraging reuse, refurbishment, and recycling of servers and equipment.
Concept: Supports e-waste management rules under India’s Environment Protection Act (1986).
Data centres and Generative AI are central to India’s Digital Economy, Industry 4.0, and AI Mission, but their unchecked growth poses a threat to global climate goals. A balanced approach — combining technological innovation with sustainability practices — is essential.
As Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, "The Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." The future of digital technology must be guided by responsible environmental stewardship, not unchecked growth.
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