The Basel Action Network has released a comprehensive report on electronic waste generated by artificial intelligence data centers, concluding that previous assessments of the problem have significantly underestimated its scale. The organization projects that by 2050, AI-related electronic waste could accumulate to between 395 and 617 million metric tons, translating to roughly 8.6 to 13.1 million metric tons discarded annually. This quantity would fill approximately 23 million 40-foot shipping containers.
The new estimate substantially exceeds earlier projections due to its broader scope of what constitutes AI infrastructure waste. While previous studies focused primarily on servers and graphics processing units, the Basel Action Network’s analysis includes all supporting equipment necessary for data center operations. This expanded accounting encompasses power supply systems, cooling infrastructure, backup power systems, networking equipment, and what the organization terms “AI Waste Contagion”—a category covering telecommunications infrastructure and personal devices that become obsolete more rapidly due to AI advancement. According to the report, this comprehensive approach accounts for approximately 87 percent of a data center’s electro-mechanical infrastructure that prior studies overlooked.
The report projects that global e-waste will triple to 211 million metric tons annually by 2050, with AI accounting for 15 to 20 percent of that total. The Basel Action Network estimates 70,000 metric tons of e-waste per gigawatt of data center capacity, and cites projections suggesting data center capacity could reach 219 gigawatts by 2030. Currently, less than 25 percent of the 68.3 million tons of e-waste generated worldwide each year enters formal recycling systems, with the remainder entering informal waste collection networks.
The organization raised concerns about the environmental and health consequences of this waste trajectory. Much discarded equipment ends up in unregulated recycling operations where burning or burying components exposes workers and surrounding communities to hazardous materials including lead and chromium. The United States, which hosts more data centers than any other country, has not ratified the Basel Convention designed to restrict international hazardous waste trade, and investigations have documented that American recyclers continue shipping e-waste internationally where it often enters informal recycling sectors affecting vulnerable populations, particularly children.
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