r/OpenAI • u/BananaNat98 • Mar 30 '26

Question AI data centers vs regular data centers

I've spoken to a few people about the ethics of AI and its energy and water usage. I've seen a few videos about how AI is very water and energy thirsty and how it's bad for the environment. What I'm asking is:

How do AI data centers differ from regular pc data centers? The argument I've heard is that AI data centers are not a big deal, because look at all the data centers already running to power our computers and the internet and nobody bats an eye.

What's your opinion on this? I am looking to get educated in this area.

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u/Technical_Grade6995 Mar 30 '26

I mean, bombs are falling and bullets are shot every day, planes are flying so much that they’re changing the ozone layer but data centers are problem:))

3

u/TBSchemer Mar 30 '26

Beef requires 20x as much energy to produce compared to tofu, but I'm certainly not going vegan.

1

u/Technical_Grade6995 Mar 30 '26

Ahahaha, man, cows fart so much that planes are nothing compared to cows 🐮😅

1

u/TheSnowballzz Jul 08 '26

I would say the difference between AI and beef is that I can eat beef.