PLAY PODCASTS
California’s AI Data Centers Taking Growing Environmental Toll

California’s AI Data Centers Taking Growing Environmental Toll

We talk about what data center growth means for the environment — and for ratepayers — and how lawmakers and communities are responding.

KQED's Forum

December 18, 202554m 44s

Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (podtrac.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.

Show Notes

Data centers are the server farms that power the internet. California has the third-most data centers of any state: over 320 sites, with more construction slated for next year. But energy experts are sounding alarms about their impacts on electric grids, water and climate; impacts that are worsening with the explosion of AI. We’ll talk about what data center growth means for the environment — and for ratepayers — and how lawmakers and communities are responding.

Guests:

Molly Taft, senior climate reporter, WIRED; their recent piece is "You're Thinking About AI and Water All Wrong"

Aaron Cantú, staff writer, Capital and Main; his latest piece on this is "The Insatiable Energy Demands of Data Centers Could Increase Fossil Fuel Emissions in California"

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices