Is the UK’s AI Boom Sabotaging Our Net Zero Goals?

energyguardiansltd
Jul 13
3 min read

Written by: Energy Guardians

Last Updated: July 13, 2025

In the rush to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, the UK is powering full steam ahead, but at what cost to the climate? A new report from the University of Cambridge’s Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy has raised a serious red flag: if left unchecked, the energy demand from AI could derail the UK’s climate ambitions.

While the promise of AI is transformative; from revolutionising healthcare to reshaping industries, it also comes with a hefty carbon price tag. And right now, that price is being largely ignored.

The AI Boom: A Double-Edged Sword

The UK government has positioned AI as a cornerstone of economic growth, investing billions in research, infrastructure, and international partnerships. In 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even hosted the first global AI Safety Summit, signalling the UK’s ambition to lead in this space.

But behind the headlines is a quieter story: the explosion of energy consumption tied to training and running large AI models. Massive server farms, endless cooling systems, and global competition to scale up mean AI infrastructure is becoming one of the most power-hungry digital technologies we’ve ever built.

According to the Cambridge report, global AI energy demand could increase five to twenty-five times by 2040, enough to put significant strain on already fragile energy systems.

A Collision Course with Net Zero?

The UK has legally committed to reaching net zero by 2050. It is a bold and necessary goal. But it requires carbon reductions across every sector; especially energy.

Here is the problem: as the UK moves to decarbonise, AI infrastructure is accelerating demand, often before there is adequate renewable supply. That means fossil fuels may continue to plug the gap.

And right now, there is little policy in place to regulate or even measure AI-related emissions. It is a massive blind spot in sustainability strategy.

A Data Centre Dilemma

The UK is already seeing the ripple effects:

Data centres in London and surrounding areas are straining the grid, prompting some councils to delay housing and infrastructure projects.
The competition for renewable energy is intensifying. AI companies often buy up green power contracts, pricing out smaller community projects or businesses trying to decarbonise.
Without transparency, we do not even know how much energy some of these systems are using.

It is the digital equivalent of building high-speed trains without laying down the track.

Can AI Be Green?

Absolutely, but only with deliberate action. Here is how the UK could align its AI ambitions with its climate goals:

Mandate energy transparency:
Require tech firms to disclose the carbon footprint of AI training and usage.
Tie subsidies to sustainability:
Public funding for AI R&D should include green criteria: renewable-powered compute, energy efficiency, circular hardware practices.
Prioritise green data centres:
Build a roadmap for sustainable AI infrastructure, i.e. location planning, power sources, and cooling innovation.
Support ‘Green AI’ innovation:
Fund research into lower-energy machine learning methods and incentivise their adoption.
Treat digital emissions like any other sector:
If heavy industry needs to meet targets, so should the digital economy.

Final Thoughts

AI has enormous potential to help solve the climate crisis; from optimising renewable grids to modelling environmental systems. But that promise is meaningless if the very tools we are building are deepening the problem.

The UK still has time to lead on sustainable AI, but it requires political will, better regulation, and a shift in mindset: not just innovation at any cost, but innovation that aligns with our planetary boundaries.

Because in the race for global AI dominance, we cannot afford to lose the climate battle.

Do you have thoughts on this? Drop a comment or share how your organisation is balancing AI innovation with sustainability.