AI, Data Centers, and Energy – Reading Activity

Summary

Students read about how data centers use energy, water, and land, then answer eleven short response questions covering server energy use, cooling methods, emissions, noise, and local economic impacts. The reading breaks AI data center impacts into clear sections so students can connect each environmental or community effect back to a specific cause. Pairs well with the AI Data Centers and Energy Data Set for a high school environmental science or Earth science unit, and links out to primary sources including IEA, Pew, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.