Though it may currently seem easy to opt-out of day-to-day interaction with artificial intelligence, the expected growth of its demand is already increasing real-life infrastructure. Data centers and supercomputers are being constructed across the globe to support our world becoming more computer-processed, including actions that range from an AI-automated Google search to NASAs planetary rover modeling to cryptocurrency Bitcoin mining. These powerful machines need electricity both to function and to keep them continuously cool. Heat is a natural byproduct of their energy-intensive processes.Some companies are finding creative solutions to make sure that excess thermal energy doesnt go to waste by funneling it into passive heating for residences and businesses alike. Could this data center output be the key to more environmentally-friendly homes? Climate experts are skeptical that consumption is the most sustainable solution.What is certain is that our electricity demands are growing. According to a forecast by the International Energy Agency (IEA), after globally consuming an estimated 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2022, data centers total electricity consumption could reach more than 1,000 TWh in 2026. This nearly 120% increase is roughly equivalent to the electricity consumption of Japan, the report continues.An aerial view of Hamina, a town in Finland that heats 80% of the homes in the district by the thermal output from a nearby data center.Photo: Getty Images/Jarmo Piironen