Powering What’s Ahead: Energy and Water Challenges of AI Data Centers
Explore findings from the Lehigh ACES Symposium. This resource hub provides research-backed insights into the critical nexus of energy, water, and infrastructure to drive sustainable policy and electrification.
The rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence is reshaping our physical world. At the intersection of this digital boom and our natural resources lies a complex challenge: How do we power the future of AI and other computing technologies while maintaining and improving reliability and affordability of our energy and water systems?
In October 2025, Lehigh University’s Center for Advancing Community Electrification Solutions (ACES) convened global experts to answer this question. This site serves as a digital extension of that symposium, offering data-driven insights, policy frameworks, and research-backed solutions for industry leaders and policymakers.
Explore the Symposium Findings
The State of the Field
Understand the current landscape of AI data centers, including critical statistics on load growth, electricity consumption, and the infrastructure hurdles facing Pennsylvania and beyond.
AI Data Centers at a Glance: FAQ
Essential data on water usage, energy intensity, and the environmental footprint of modern AI data centers.
Trending Issues & Policy
From grid resilience and economic development to energy affordability, explore the high-priority topics currently shaping the debate around data center siting and regulation.
Action Areas and Next Steps
View the roadmap for the future. We identify where industry, government, and academia must align to ensure high-efficacy solutions and reduced risk for local communities.
The Collaborative Ecosystem
Research & Innovation at ACES
Browse the bibliographic gallery of research posters and technical projects presented by Lehigh faculty and students during the symposium.
Partner Insights
Hear directly from the stakeholders in this collection of perspectives and quotes from our speakers and attendees.
Thought Leaders & Participants
Meet the experts. View the symposium agenda for a comprehensive directory of the academic, industry, and government leaders who contributed to this dialogue.
Connect with the Center for Advancing Community Electrification Solutions
ACES leads coordinated electrification solutions at the nexus of water, transportation, buildings, and the power grid. By conceptualizing the community as an "electricity shed," we provide the R&D pathways necessary to meet growing electrification demands in collaboration with community, industry, and research stakeholders.