AI Boom Could Leave an E-Waste Trail That Wraps 6 Times Around Earth
The Register, Saturday, September 19th, 2026
A Basel Action Network report warns AI infrastructure could generate 395-617 million tonnes of e-waste by 2050.
The Basel Action Network estimates AI infrastructure buildout from 2025-2050 could produce 395 to 617 million tonnes of electronic waste, enough to fill 15-23 million shipping containers that laid end-to-end would circle Earth about six times.
The report says prior estimates undercounted waste by ignoring power, cooling, and networking gear, which make up roughly 87% of datacenter equipment weight versus GPUs alone.
It assumes aggressive replacement cycles, such as AI accelerators every 2-3 years versus 5-7 years for traditional servers.
The group warns no hyperscaler, government, or international body has published a plan for handling AI-driven e-waste at this scale, and current recycling infrastructure is inadequate.