AI datacenter buildout projected to triple global electronic waste in 25 years

A new report warns that the surge in datacenter construction for artificial intelligence will generate enough discarded electronics over the next quarter-century to circle the Earth six times in shipping containers, tripling annual e-waste

First covered Sep 16, 2026 · 4:00 AM PT · 1 article · no longer in the live window

AI datacenter buildout projected to triple global electronic waste in 25 years — Image via theguardian.com

Coverage

10d Guardian Environment Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics, report says — Global push will triple toxic e-waste annually in 25 years, filling enough shipping containers to circle globe six times The ongoing campaign to build…

Primary sources

wiki.ban.org Ai Waste Wave Part 1 (wiki.ban.org)

Related coverage

11d TechCrunch Climate US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035

13d Guardian Environment ‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn

More coverage from around the web

orfonline.org AI’s E-Waste Problem: The Growing Burden of Data Centres

sciencedirect.com Recalibrating global artificial intelligence e-waste estimates - ScienceDirect

eridirect.com The Fastest-Growing Source of E-Waste in 2026: AI Hardware - ERI

datacenterknowledge.com AI’s Impact on Data Center E-Waste and How to Mitigate the Problem

datacenters.halttheharm.net E-Waste & Decommissioning - Stop Bad Data Centers

Appeared in: 2026-09-16 (#10) · 2026-09-17 (#19)

← Back to the brief