"These facilities house rows of computing systems that are used to train and run AI, aprocess that requires a massive amount of electricity and cooling power. My concern is that not all of the energy that they're using for data centers is renewable, which will undercut the city's own climate commitments, said Calvin Sridhara, a high school student who co-leads the San Jose branch of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action (SVYCA)."
"In 2024, San Jose's 21 data centers consumed just over 80 million kilowatt-hours. To give you an idea, training a single AI model could power 100 U.S. homes in one year. And then, it can take training hundreds of models to ensure that one AI is working correctly, said Dr. Ahmed Banafa, an adjunct professor of engineering at San Jose State University who is writing his fourth book on AI."
"Mani Bekele, a high school student from downtown San Jose and a co-leader of SVYCA, serves as a youth member on the city of San Jose's Climate Advisory Board. He fears that if action is not taken to reduce the environmental impacts, valuable progress in efforts to promote renewable energy will be lost. He also says that he wants local government officials to implement regulations and make sure that data centers do not harm surrounding communities."
Data centers in Silicon Valley are expanding to meet rising AI demand and require massive electricity and cooling capacity. San Jose aims for carbon neutrality by 2030, yet its 21 data centers consumed just over 80 million kilowatt-hours in 2024, while the Bay Area hosts 135 centers. Training a single AI model can consume as much energy as powering 100 U.S. homes for a year, and many models often require repeated training. Youth activists from SVYCA warn that nonrenewable energy use undermines climate commitments and urge local regulations to protect communities. SVYCA is also hosting a Climate Smart Youth Video Competition about climate issues.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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