According to Odaily, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released its latest Digital Economy Report for 2024. The report highlights that while digitalization has driven global economic growth and provided unique opportunities for developing countries, it has also significantly impacted the environment. The increasing demand for data transmission, processing, and storage driven by new technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, 5G, and the Internet of Things has led to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions.

The report estimates that in 2022, the energy consumption of global data centers was comparable to that of France. Additionally, the global energy consumption resulting from Bitcoin mining increased approximately 34 times between 2015 and 2023, placing substantial pressure on local power grids. For instance, data centers in Singapore accounted for about 7% of the country's electricity demand in 2020, while in Ireland, this figure reached 18% in 2022.