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According to "AI and energy: To be fair, even the 2.5 million metric tons of e-waste that generative AI data centers could potentially be creating by 2030 would be a relatively small contribution to an already massive environmental problem. Currently, small devices such as toys, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, and e-cigarettes account for 33 percent of e-waste (20.4 million metric tons), while small IT and telecommunication equipment such as laptops, mobile phones, GPS devices, and routers account for 7.4 percent of e-waste (4.6 million metric tons), with only a 22 percent documented collection and recycling rate. In response to AP's questions about its water usage for AI training, Microsoft issued a statement saying, "We will continue to monitor our emissions, accelerate progress while increasing our use of clean energy to power data centers, purchasing renewable energy, and other efforts to meet our sustainability goals of being carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030."
