How significant is data center water use? Is it tiny in relation to other sectors, significant in some water-stressed regions, or both? Can new liquid-based cooling technologies which (perhaps counter-intuitively) need less water than traditional air-based cooling technologies help? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these topics and more with three coauthors of the new Sustainable Data Centers Roadmap -- Alexis Abramson (Dean of the Columbia Climate School), Julio Friedmann (Chief Scientist at Carbon Direct) and Angela Yuan (a master's degree  candidate at the University of Cambridge). 

ICEF Sustainable Data Centers Roadmap -- icef.go.jp/roadmap 

This material is distributed by TRG Advisory Services, LLC on behalf of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the U.S.. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

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Amory Lovins has been a leading thinker on energy policy for more than 50 years. Several months ago he wrote an article with the provocative title "Artificial Intelligence Meets Natural Stupidity." As the title suggests, Lovins is skeptical about AI in a number of respects – in particular about the electricity it will require. Listen as host David Sandalow talks with Lovins about AI power demand forecasts, the role of natural gas and renewables, AI in education, a proposal to require all payments to electric utilities by new large loads such as data centers to be bonded or insured, and more.\

Amory Lovins, Artificial Intelligence Meets Natural Stupidity (May 2025), https://integrative-design-for-radical-energy-efficiency.stanford.edu/sites/extreme_energy_efficiency/files/media/file/data-centersaiel-dr-16-10-may-2025.pdf

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After a pause over the summer, we’re restarting the AI, Energy and Climate Podcast with a conversation between Jennifer Granholm, former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Governor of Michigan, and host David Sandalow. Sec. Granholm explains why she’s an “AI optimist,” sounds several notes of caution on AI and describes where she agrees and disagrees with Trump administration policies. 

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap.

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Octopus Energy, a global technology and energy company, was founded in the UK 10 years ago with the goal of helping to transform electric utilities. It created Kraken, a cloud-based platform that helps utilities and their customers manage data from smart meters, electric vehicles, distributed energy resources and more. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US, about Octopus, Kraken, AI in the power sector, and strategies for combining grid flexibility and data center load growth. 

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap. 

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More than a billion people in the world live in energy poverty, with little or no access to electricity. Can AI help put an end to energy poverty -- or could it make the problem worse? Is there a risk of a new digital divide, with the US, China and Europe integrating AI into their economies while many nations in the Global South fall behind? Join host David Sandalow as he discusses these questions and more with Damilola Ogunbiyi, a top UN official and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All. 

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap. 

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Arun Majumdar is the inaugural Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford University and previously served as Founding Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and Chair of the Secretary's Advisory Board at the US Department of Energy. He is one of the United States' top energy experts and an accomplished institutional leader. Join host David Sandalow as he talks with Dean Majumdar about the AI work underway at the Doerr School, power demand for AI, AI's potential impacts on climate change mitigation, teaching in the AI era, and much more.

The AI, Energy and Climate Podcast is a special series from the DSR Network sponsored by NEDO and hosted by David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap. 

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Thirty-two years after Jensen Huang founded NVIDIA, the company is at the center of the AI revolution and the third-most valuable company in the world. Jensen -- as he is known throughout his company and the IT industry -- is shaping the future of AI and countless applications of AI. In this episode, Jensen talks with host David Sandalow about how AI can help solve energy and climate problems, AI's power consumption, the intelligence infrastructure of the future, and more.    

The AI, Energy and Climate Podcast is a special series from the DSR Network sponsored by NEDO and hosted by David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap. 

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Can AI help discover new materials, leading to dramatic breakthroughs in clean energy technologies? In Episode #1 of our deep dive on this topic, host David Sandalow explored the potential for breakthroughs with Taylor Sparks, a professor at the University of Utah and host of the Materialism Podcast, and Colin McCormick, Principal Scientist at Carbon Direct, a professor at Georgetown University and author of the materials innovation chapter in the Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap (Second Edition). In this episode, David, Taylor and Colin discuss the barriers that must be overcome to realize that potential as well as possible risks. The episode ends with some interesting book recommendations by Taylor and Colin!

The AI, Energy and Climate Podcast is a special series from the DSR Network sponsored by NEDO and hosted by David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap. 

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What could make dramatic, transformational changes in the fight against climate change? One answer -- breakthroughs in the materials sciences that result in even better and cheaper clean energy technologies. Can artificial intelligence tools help produce such breakthroughs? Join host David Sandalow for a deep dive into this topic with Taylor Sparks, a professor at the University of Utah and host of the Materialism Podcast, and Colin McCormick, Principal Scientist at Carbon Direct, a professor at Georgetown University and author of the materials innovation chapter in the Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap (Second Edition).  

The AI, Energy and Climate Podcast is a special series from the DSR Network sponsored by NEDO and hosted by David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap. 

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On April 10, the International Energy Agency released a major report on energy and AI. The report explores topics including electricity demand for AI, how AI is being used in the energy sector, AI’s role in accelerating energy innovation, the security implications of AI and greenhouse gas emissions from AI. Join host David Sandalow in conversation with Laura Cozzi, IEA's Director for Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks, who designed and directed this landmark report.  

The AI, Energy and Climate Podcast is a special series from the DSR Network sponsored by NEDO and hosted by David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy.

AI for Climate Change Mitigation Roadmap -- https://www.icef.go.jp/roadmap and transitiondigital.org/ai-climate-roadmap. 

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