UNEP FI launches first data centres and AI sector brief

UNEP FI has announced the launch of the Data Centres and AI Services Sector Brief, described as the first UNEP FI publication on the sector and the first output of the PRB Workstream on Data Centres and AI.

• The brief covers sustainability risks, impacts and opportunities in data centres and AI services, including energy and water use, human rights, jobs, and access to AI.
• It also examines how banks can assess these issues across different financing structures, noting that data centres are typically financed against the asset itself while AI services companies are more often financed at the parent-company level.