E-waste from AI boom and building data centers could stretch six times around the Earth by 2050, report warns
New report reveals just how much AI data center e-waste is likely unaccounted for, and how much each campus likely uses.
A new report from the Basel Action Network (BAN) warns that e-waste generated by the AI boom and data center construction could stretch six times around the Earth by 2050. The study reveals that only 13% of data center hardware is currently accounted for in most figures, with the remaining 87% largely unaccounted for. Each 1GW of data center capacity equates to 70,000 tonnes of hardware, and with AI hardware needing more frequent replacement, AI alone is projected to contribute 395-617 million tonnes of e-waste between 2025 and 2050.
To put this into perspective, this waste would fill 15-23 million 40ft shipping containers, enough to circle the Earth six times. Moore's Law is partly to blame, as developers now have to introduce new technology to achieve performance improvements, leading to an increase in e-waste. BAN criticizes earlier estimates that only included servers and accelerators, which only account for a small portion of the total e-waste.
The remaining 87% consists of networking, power distribution, storage/backup, and cooling systems. AI accelerators, servers, and racks are replaced every 2.5 years, compared to the typical five to seven years for general-purpose servers. To mitigate the impact, BAN recommends designing AI data center equipment to last longer, promoting recycling and second use, and exploring the potential for repurposing AI-specific hardware in other functionalities.
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