Data Centers and Artificial Intelligence in En-ROADS

Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APEarth and Space Sciences, Economics

What it is

This article explains how energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions from data centers and artificial intelligence are modeled in the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator.
The article covers the factors that drive data center emissions, the feedback loops that shape data center growth, and how productivity gains from artificial intelligence could amplify a carbon-intensive economy.

Classroom Implementation:

Use this as a source for researching the benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence.
Use this resource in environmental science units on energy and emissions, economics units on externalities and incentives, or computer science discussions about the environmental costs of technology.
Have students use this resource to inform their work with the En-ROADS simulator. Encourage them to experiment with the simulator's assumptions settings associated with data centers and artificial intelligence.

Differentiation:

The later sections of the article on feedback loops and model assumptions are more technical and may be best suited for advanced or AP students.

Extensions:

Ask students to research whether data centers have been built or proposed in their region and discuss the local equity considerations raised in the article.

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Standards alignment · HS-ESS3-5 + 2 more

Science and Engineering

HS-ESS3-5Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth’s systems.
HS-ESS3-6Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.

Social Studies

GlobalConnections (F1): Students understand economic aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and various world cultures, including Maine Native Americans, by researching the pros and cons of economic processes, economic institutions, and economic influences of diverse cultures, including Maine Native Americans, various historical and recent immigrant groups in the United States, and various cultures in the world to propose a solution to an economic problem.