Planned US Data Centers Set to Produce 24M Cars' Worth Of Carbon Dioxide
A new analysis of US data centers under construction estimates they could produce 101.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to 27 coal power plants or 24 million more gas-powered cars on the road.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
The US data center boom is facing a new challenge: its massive carbon footprint. A new analysis estimates that the 60 largest data centers under construction could produce 101.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to 27 coal power plants or 24 million more gas-powered cars on the road. This is a significant increase from previous estimates and highlights the need for t…
Imagine you're driving 24 million more cars on the road every year. That's what the carbon footprint of US data centers under construction could be like. It's a big problem that needs to be solved, and the tech industry must take action to reduce its carbon emissions and transition to cleaner energy sources.
Analysis
The Scale of the Problem
The 60 largest data centers under construction in the US are expected to produce a cumulative 101.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually once they're fully up and running. This is a staggering number, equivalent to 27 coal power plants or 24 million more gas-powered cars on the road. To put this in perspective, the US power sector emitted 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2025, so these data centers would account for about 7% of all power-sector emissions.
The Causes of the Problem
Researchers point to a mix of causes for the increase in carbon emissions from data centers, including the sheer scale of demand for AI infrastructure and a political environment under the Trump administration that dramatically rolled back climate rules and clean energy tax credits in favor of fossil fuels. Data center construction has revitalized local activism, with communities affected by data center construction and operations speaking out against the environmental impacts.
The Consequences of the Problem
The environmental impacts and grid strains from these energy decisions are stacking up to just one more AI boom cost that nobody outside the tech industry signed up for. Utilities are increasing production to meet the mounting and projected demand, preparing to roll out tens of thousands of megawatts of energy capacity across the US specifically to serve data center infrastructure. Three-quarters of the operators serving these 60 sites are building or planning new gas capacity, and a third of those running coal plants are pushing back retirement dates. This fresh wave of gas and coal plants occupies a small but rapidly growing portion of the US energy generation mix — trending in the opposite direction to what experts expected only a few years ago.
Key points
- The 60 largest data centers under construction in the US could produce 101.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
- This is equivalent to 27 coal power plants or 24 million more gas-powered cars on the road.
- The tech industry must take action to reduce its carbon emissions and transition to cleaner energy sources.
- Utilities are increasing production to meet the mounting and projected demand for data center infrastructure.
- Three-quarters of the operators serving these 60 sites are building or planning new gas capacity.
If the tech industry takes action to reduce its carbon emissions and transition to cleaner energy sources, it could lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a more sustainable future for the planet.
If the tech industry continues to rely on fossil fuels and fails to take action to reduce its carbon emissions, it could lead to catastrophic climate change and devastating environmental impacts.
