How AI Is Fueling the Resurgence of Fossil Fuels

The Growing Energy Demand of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly expanding, requiring substantial power to operate. Tasks such as server hosting, training models, and data storage contribute heavily to this energy consumption. Each AI query carries an environmental cost, and recent political decisions are complicating efforts to reduce this impact.

Political Moves Supporting Fossil Fuels

In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders aimed at boosting the fossil fuel industry. These orders reversed prior climate initiatives by reinstating coal-based power plants that were due for retirement to meet rising power demands. The administration argued that renewable energy sources are currently insufficient and unreliable to sustain AI’s growth, thereby linking coal energy closely with AI development.

These orders also relaxed environmental regulations, allowing expanded mining on federal lands and exemptions from reporting toxic pollutants like benzene and mercury under laws such as the Clean Air Act. While the administration claims these measures benefit AI progress, the environmental costs could be significant.

Fossil Fuels Powering AI’s Future

The new policies are a form of advocacy for coal mining, positioning fossil fuels as essential for advancing technology. Coal and natural gas may account for up to 60% of new energy production as fossil fuels regain importance. Although AI holds potential to combat climate change by optimizing energy use and reducing emissions, many stakeholders in AI infrastructure also have ties to fossil fuel interests.

For example, companies like Microsoft promote AI as a tool to reduce emissions while simultaneously providing AI services to fossil fuel companies to aid their expansion. Without clear boundaries, AI could inadvertently enable further ecological harm by supporting larger fossil fuel operations and bypassing sustainability compliance.

Debunking Myths About Renewable Energy

Opponents of renewable energy expansion claim that AI data centers require uninterrupted power, which intermittent renewable sources cannot reliably provide. However, analyses counter these claims, demonstrating that renewable energy can meet the demands of data centers if proper governance and collaboration are in place. Despite this, policymakers often prioritize short-term economic gains over sustainable, long-term clean energy solutions.

Synergy Between AI and Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is vital to sustainably power AI, while AI itself can enhance renewable energy systems to meet high environmental standards and climate goals. AI-driven improvements in energy efficiency and smart grid management could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10%, particularly in regions with high AI demand.

Strategies to Reduce Fossil Fuel Dependence in AI

Smart Grids: AI can modernize the electricity grid by balancing supply and demand automatically, preventing overloads, and integrating carbon-emitting data centers into demand response programs that incorporate clean energy even during peak times.
Battery Storage: AI-enhanced battery energy storage systems (BESS) mitigate renewable energy intermittency, encourage investment, and prevent outages, ensuring continuous operation of AI data centers.
Energy Efficiency: AI can optimize software and hardware to reduce energy consumption in data centers through innovations like liquid cooling, waste heat recovery, and green AI, making renewable energy more viable.
Location Selection: Building AI data centers near abundant renewable energy sources such as solar or wind farms lowers costs and minimizes fossil fuel reliance.
Advocacy: Sustained public and private support is critical to counter policies favoring fossil fuels and promote cleaner AI powered by renewable energy.

The Path Forward

Fossil fuels do not have to be the backbone of technological progress. Relying on them risks accelerating environmental degradation. Supporting gradual renewable energy adoption offers a sustainable path for powering AI and data centers. Activism and awareness about green energy’s role in enabling demanding technologies are essential to ensure a cleaner future.