The amount of electronic waste from generative AI may increase by a factor of thousands by 2030, a new report has found. Visibility of, and investment in, generative AI programs such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, and other large language model (LLM) based technologies has exploded in the past couple of years, bringing with it a whole host of benefits and drawbacks. Amongst the existential dread and alarming levels of misinformation, there’s one far more practical concern that has so far gone unnoticed: what are we going to do with all the e-waste we’re creating?
“The e-waste generated by generative AI, particularly large language models, could increase dramatically – potentially reaching up to 2.5 million tons per year by 2030 if no waste reduction measures are implemented,” said Asaf Tzachor, a sustainability and climate researcher at Reichman University in Israel. As co-author of a new study investigating the potential e-waste consequences of the sudden boom in generative AI tech, Tzachor and his colleagues found that the amount of e-waste from generative AI computer servers could total as much as 5 million tons by the end of the decade – around 2,000 times the amount produced in 2023. “We were surprised by the magnitude of the projected e-waste,” Tzachor noted.
E-waste is already a significant problem. According to the United Nations, “the 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated in 2022 would fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, roughly enough trucks to form a bumper-to-bumper line encircling the equator.”
Tackling this problem is beneficial in multiple ways. Not only will it prevent millions of people from dying from exposure to toxic chemicals and pollution, but e-waste is also a rich source of valuable metals.
“There’s more gold and silver in a tonne of iPhones than a tonne of ore from a gold or silver mine,” Lisa McLean, CEO of Circular Australia, told ABC.
Projected e-waste due to generative AI
With the projected amount of e-waste by 2030 being the equivalent of billions of smart devices, addressing this issue is essential.
“We’re running out of resources,” McLean pointed out, “and we’re not going to get to net zero without a circular economy.” Employing circular economy strategies could reduce e-waste generation by up to 86 percent, according to the study. “The range of 16-86 percent reduction reflects the immense potential of these strategies, especially if supported by policies, and when widely implemented across industries and regions,” said Saurabh Gupta, founder of Earth5R, a sustainability organization based in India, who was not involved in the study. “This presents a tremendous opportunity for reducing the waste stream if these practices are widely adopted.
It’s clear from this study that the nature of the e-waste crisis is global, which is why it’s important to focus on cross-border e-waste management.”
So, what’s the solution? There is no silver bullet, but Tzachor suggested a few strategies to help minimize the future onslaught of e-waste. First, we should aim to prolong the use of existing hardware – basically, use things longer instead of throwing them out as soon as new technology arrives.
Second, re-use or refurbish devices and components, which includes designing hardware to make this easier. The most important takeaway from the report? We don’t have time for complacency.
“It’s far easier and more cost-effective to address the e-waste challenges posed by AI now,” cautioned Tzachor, “before they escalate beyond control.”
The study is published in the journal.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
