Image source: topwar.ru
Modern data centers have become a key element of the global artificial intelligence race. Turkey has officially launched an ambitious national AI action plan for 2026-2030.
According to the presidential circular signed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country intends to mobilize at least 10 billion dollars of mostly private investment in the construction of data centers, cloud infrastructure and computing power. The main goal is to bring the installed capacity of data centers to at least 1 GW by 2030. The plan includes requirements for energy efficiency of facilities, compliance with international standards, as well as the development of national data sets and the training of tens of thousands of specialists.
This step reflects a global trend. The boom in generative AI and cloud services has dramatically increased the demand for hyperscale computing power. Data centers provide neural networks, big data processing, cloud platforms, and the digital economy.
From the official statement:
However, the rapid growth of data centers carries serious environmental and resource risks. Modern facilities consume huge amounts of electricity. According to UN experts, by 2030, global energy consumption by data centers could reach about 945 terawatt-hours per year, almost three times the total annual consumption of such densely populated countries as, for example, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria combined. This corresponds to about 3% of global capacity.
Much of this energy is still generated using fossil fuels, which leads to the emission of hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide annually. By 2030, the carbon footprint of data centers may approach 400 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The problem of water is no less critical. Billions of liters are used to cool the servers. The direct and indirect water consumption of data centers is already estimated at trillions of liters. According to forecasts, the water footprint by the end of the decade can match the basic annual household needs of 1.3 billion people. In arid regions, this increases competition for water resources with agriculture and the population. In addition, data centers occupy significant areas of land, generate electronic waste (up to 2.5 million tons per year by 2030), create thermal and noise pollution, and load local power grids, sometimes causing tariff increases for the population.
Experts warn that without strict requirements for energy efficiency, the use of renewable sources, innovative cooling systems (including liquid cooling) and transparent reporting, the environmental cost of digital transformation may be too high. Turkey is already setting energy efficiency standards in its plan, but success will depend on the actual implementation of green technologies and balancing the interests of the economy and the environment.
The world leaders in the number and capacity of data centers are the USA (more than 5,000 such facilities, which accounts for at least 40% of the global market), China and Germany. Russia is one of the 15 largest global "players" in terms of the number and capacity of data centers, while significantly lagging behind the top five.
