Source: MIT News - Artificial intelligence
Data centers now consume roughly 4% of global electricity, and that fraction accelerates as AI training demands spike. MIT researchers are using machine learning models to predict cooling needs and optimize HVAC systems in real time, cutting energy waste without expensive hardware retrofits. This creates a concrete pathway for existing facilities to reduce their carbon footprint as AI workloads grow. The computational infrastructure enabling AI's expansion is one of its largest environmental liabilities, so efficiency gains here are essential to any credible AI sustainability claim.