Report Highlights Growing E-Waste Issue from AI Data Centers

<figure> <img alt="Photo collage of a server room with data visualizations." src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/STKS528_DATA_CENTERS_C.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">E-waste from the AI boom has been vastly underestimated, according to a new report. By 2050, it could amount to enough waste to fill 23 million shipping containers, which is approximately enough 40-foot containers to circle the globe six times if arranged in a line.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">This estimate of AI's e-waste is significantly higher than previous studies, as the authors of the report consider all the infrastructure required to support servers in data centers. The broader scope offers a clearer understanding of the waste generated by AI, according to the nonprofit Basel Action Network (BAN), which published the report on September 16, 2026.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">"AI may feel weightless, but every model dep ...</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/996470/ai-data-center-e-waste-ban">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>