Study Finds AI Could Generate Millions of Tons of E-Waste by 2030

Generative artificial intelligence A global analysis has found that nearly 1,000 times more e-waste could be generated by the start of the next decade.

Without any waste reduction measures, e-waste from artificial intelligence will increase significantly, from 2,600 tons in 2023 to 2.5 million tons in 2030, scientists say.

This would be equivalent to a projected world population of 8.5 billion people in 2030, each throwing away almost two iPhones.

The rapid growth of generative artificial intelligence requires frequent hardware and chip upgrades, often rendering existing electronic equipment obsolete. This equipment contains toxic metals including lead and chromium, which are hazardous to health and the environment, as well as precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum, which can potentially be recycled.

“Our results indicate that this e-waste stream could increase, potentially reaching a total accumulation of 1.2 to 5 million tons between 2020 and 2030,” said researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Reichman University in Israel.

“This may intensify in the context of geopolitical restrictions on semiconductor import and quickly rotate servers to save operating costs,” they wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Computational Science on Monday.