PBS show on energy and environmental effects of data centers

I and Eric Masanet were interviewed for this PBS show on the energy and environmental effects of data centers that came out recently. Aside from a misguided highlighting of the fallacious Jevon's paradox this show is a pretty good non-technical introduction to the issues.

If you are new to this topic, our short article about energy use and AI, published earlier this year, is a good introduction.

Koomey, Jonathan, and Eric Masanet. 2026. Understanding AI energy use (part of a special report on AI for energy, water and waste management). Veolia and Microsoft. February 10. [https://www.institut.veolia.org/en/publications/veolia-institute-review-facts-reports/ai-energy-water-and-waste-management]

This conceptual chart from that article summarizes the key areas of uncertainty.

For more context on implications of AI and data centers for energy forecasting, see these two white papers:

Koomey, Jonathan, Zachary Schmidt, Priya Sreedharan, Nikhil Kumar, and Taylor McNair. 2026. Separating fact from fiction in data center electricity forecasts: A guide for regulators. Bay Area, California: A joint report by Koomey Analytics and Gridlab. March. [https://gridlab.org/portfolio-item/data-center-load-forecast-report/]

Koomey, Jonathan, Zachary Schmidt, and Tanya Das. 2025. Electricity Demand Growth and Data Centers: A Guide for the Perplexed. Washington, DC: Bipartisan Policy Center. February. [https://bipartisanpolicy.org/report/electricity-demand-growth-and-data-centers/]

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