- According to the Kleinman Center for Energy Research, Massachusetts could emerge as an unlikely laboratory for a new climate experiment: using the explosive growth of data centers to help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- In a blog post researchers from the center show how the state sits at the intersection of two powerful trends. Data centers, driven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence, are proliferating across Greater Boston and beyond, bringing rising electricity demand and heavy water use. At the same time, Massachusetts has built one of the most detailed policy frameworks in the U.S. for carbon dioxide removal, or CDR, which scientists increasingly see as essential alongside emissions cuts.
- Direct air capture systems rely on chemical materials that bind carbon dioxide from ambient air. To reuse those materials, heat must be applied. Data centers generate large volumes of low-grade waste heat that is typically vented away. With the right equipment, that heat can be redirected to power carbon capture.
Read the full news here: Can Massachusetts Turn Power-Hungry Data Centers Into Carbon Removal Engines