DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse
Monday 17 Feb 2025

AI burns through a lot of resources. And thanks to a paradox first identified way back in the 1860s, even a more energy-efficient AI is likely to simply mean more energy is used in the long run.
One study suggests the AI industry will be consuming somewhere between 85 and 134 terrawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity by 2027. That’s a similar amount of energy as the Netherlands consumes each year. One prominent researcher predicts that by 2030, over 20% of all electricity produced in the US will be feeding AI data centres (huge warehouses filled with computers).
Read more in The Conversation here
Other news stories
Rice Team develops lithium extraction membrane
7 October 2025
When China makes a climate pledge, the world should listen
6 October 2025
Energised for Impact: Highlights from the 13th Oxford Energy Day
View all news stories
30 September 2025