ASU Weighs Sustainability of AI's Rapid Growth

Faculty and students advocate for balancing AI's environmental impact with its benefits.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 4:39am

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An abstract painting in soft, earthy tones featuring sweeping geometric shapes and precise botanical spirals, conceptually representing the complex relationship between AI technology and environmental sustainability.An abstract illustration depicting the delicate balance between AI's rapid growth and its environmental impact, as universities work to develop more sustainable practices.Phoenix Today

As Arizona State University rapidly adopts AI technology, faculty and students are having conversations about the environmental costs and benefits. While AI can help solve environmental challenges, the energy-intensive nature of data centers is also warming surrounding neighborhoods. ASU is working to develop more sustainable AI practices, but some students argue more education on the issue is needed.

Why it matters

The rapid expansion of AI technology at universities like ASU raises concerns about its environmental impact, including energy consumption and water usage. However, AI also has the potential to assist in solving environmental problems through applications like climate modeling and precision agriculture. Balancing these tradeoffs is crucial as AI becomes more ubiquitous.

The details

ASU has rapidly adopted AI in classrooms, research, and operations, but an ASU research team found data centers in the Phoenix area are warming surrounding neighborhoods by several degrees. ASU President Michael Crow emphasized the importance of creating data centers with "minimal environmental footprint" while continuing to stress AI's key role in the future. The University is also developing ways to make AI more sustainable, like adding "green leaf" indicators to highlight more efficient AI models. However, some students argue more education on the environmental impacts of AI is needed.

  • In March 2026, ASU President Michael Crow was interviewed by The State Press.
  • ASU has rapidly adopted AI technology in recent years.

The players

Michael Crow

The president of Arizona State University who emphasized the importance of creating sustainable data centers as AI technology expands.

Chloe Bethune

A junior studying sustainability and the president of the ASU Sustainability Club who is concerned about AI's environmental impact if the current trajectory continues.

Kyle Bowen

The deputy chief information officer at ASU who said the University considers environmental strain associated with AI use and has developed ways to highlight more efficient AI models.

Gunika Dhingra

A graduate student studying data science and a student advisor for the ASU AI Club who believes there is a gap in education on sustainability concepts related to AI.

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What they’re saying

“Some companies, like AWS for Amazon and others, and their big AI data centers, are looking at renewable energy systems, distributed formats, distributed locations. We're going to try to be a part of helping to figure out how all of that can happen.”

— Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University

“If it's headed in the same direction that it is, we're definitely going to have more problems than we do now.”

— Chloe Bethune, President, ASU Sustainability Club

“We actually put a little green leaf next to smaller models to help people make choices around, 'Hey, these are smaller models that have a smaller impact in terms of the ways they consume resources.'”

— Kyle Bowen, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Arizona State University

“AI is both a very big contributor to, and it is also a tool for solving, environmental challenges.”

— Gunika Dhingra, Graduate Student and Student Advisor, ASU AI Club

What’s next

ASU plans to continue working on developing more sustainable data centers and AI practices, including exploring the use of renewable energy and distributed computing models. The University will also aim to increase education on the environmental impacts of AI technology.

The takeaway

As AI becomes more ubiquitous at universities like ASU, there is a growing need to balance the technology's rapid growth with its environmental costs. While AI can be a powerful tool for solving environmental challenges, its energy-intensive nature also poses risks that must be addressed through innovative, sustainable solutions and increased education.