Key Highlights
- Over 11,000 data centres are currently operational worldwide.
- The sector is expected to continue growing strongly, driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, high-performance electronics and innovations such as quantum computing.
- However, the report cautioned that this growth comes with a substantial nature footprint.
- Semiconductor manufacturing alone consumes over 1 trillion litres of freshwater annually, along with large quantities of metals and critical minerals.
- Data centres draw more than 60 gigawatts of energy, equivalent to California's peak power needs.
