Big Tech’s growing use of data centers has created related public health costs valued at more than $5.4 billion over the past five years, in findings that highlight the growing impact of building artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Air pollution derived from the huge amounts of energy needed to run data centers has been linked to treating cancers, asthma, and other related issues, according to research from UC Riverside and Caltech.

The academics estimated that the cost of treating illnesses connected to this pollution was valued at $1.5 billion in 2023, up 20 percent from a year earlier. They found that the overall cost was $5.4 billion since 2019.

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