Why are AI data centers using so much electricity?

Sajan Saini |

TED-Ed

• September 2026

Since 2019, over a thousand warehouse campuses have popped up around the world. Each complex covers nearly 100,000 square meters, uses as much water as a small town, and as much electricity as a small city. These are AI data centers — facilities for running and training Large Language Models like ChatGPT. Sajan Saini explores the challenges and possibilities of these rapidly expanding complexes. [Directed by Vicente Numpaque, Dr3i Studio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].