The hidden cost of AI: Unpacking its energy and water footprint (Arti Garg, Irene Kitsara, Sarah Bérubé, OECD.AI)

On 12 February 2025, the OECD and IEEE co-organised an event on the margin of the French AI Action Summit with diverse experts to discuss AI’s growing environmental challenges. The event’s three main sessions covered critical sustainability concerns: the environmental cost of inference, the impact of data centres on the electricity grid, and AI’s water footprint.

The hidden cost of AI: Unpacking its energy and water footprint – OECD.AI