July 9, 2026
With the world increasingly relying on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing, energy and climate dynamics are changing. The En‑ROADS Simulator, co-developed by Climate Interactive and MIT Sloan, now models the interdependencies and impacts of the emerging data center and AI industry, enabling you to explore the growing energy demand over time, what’s driving that growth, and how it shapes global emissions and temperature.
With this feature, you can:
Illustrate the predicted energy demand from AI growth and its impact on global climate indicators with new graphs and sliders
Customize a scenario by changing assumptions and sliders about the growth, energy efficiency, and the carbon intensity of the energy to power data centers
Evaluate AI’s direct emissions and indirect emissions from economic productivity growth
Watch a summary and demonstration of the Data Centers and AI update in En‑ROADS.
Join us on Thursday, August 27, at 12 PM EDT to explore the new data centers and AI feature in the En‑ROADS Simulator.
Whether you’re preparing for an upcoming event, briefing decision-makers, or are curious about the dynamics of AI’s growing energy demand, this new feature in En‑ROADS creates opportunities to test alternative scenarios. Use it to add a new layer to your En‑ROADS workshops, games, and discussions by grounding conversations in the latest science. If you want to go deeper, our explainer includes guidance on the new features and how to use them in practice.
We’re grateful to everyone who contributed to this update. Development of this feature was generously funded by Hewlett. This work was guided by recommendations, review, and testing by colleagues, En‑ROADS Climate Ambassadors, and experts from institutions, including: