AI's Energy & Water Demands: Sorting Fact from Fiction with Andy Masley

Andy Masley on AI energy and water use unpacks common myths and brings an Effective Altruism lens to the debate. PSA for AI builders: Interested in alignment, governance, or AI safety? Learn more about the MATS Summer 2026 Fellowship and submit your name to be notified when applications open: https://matsprogram.org/s26-tcr. You’ll get memorable heuristics—one ChatGPT query ≈ running a microwave for one second; 10,000 queries ≈ a cross-town car trip, burger, or hot shower—and clear comparisons about data center power, solar land area, and an estimated 80 GW buildout. We also cover local impacts, water trade-offs, uncertainty drivers, and why AI’s global resource footprint is smaller than many fear while noting where caution is still warranted.

LINKS:

Andy Masley Substack homepage

Power Hungry Processing paper PDF

Energy Efficiency AI Benchmarks PDF

Deep neural network energy paper

Gemini Deep Research report

ChatGPT 5.1 Pro report

Claude Opus 4.5 report

Altman “The Gentle Singularity”

SemiAnalysis AI datacenter energy dilemma

Epoch OpenAI compute spend

Dean Ball Out of Thin Air

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