// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA

Decentralized AI needs more evidence on energy use

Published: 10/13/2026, 12:00 AM

Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, India. Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Cassidy Buhler and colleagues urge researchers to shift away from using mega data centres and run open-weight artificial-intelligence models on local institutional servers (see C. K. Buhler et al. Nature 656, 296–298; 2026). The case for having greater autonomy over research tools is strong, but the authors’ predictions related to energy savings currently rest on weak evidence. Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Data centres will use twice as much energy by 2030 — driven by AI Why open-source generative AI models are an ethical way forward for science Private, offline and yours: how to search the literature with local AI systems How digital breakdowns affect supply chains — and endanger the global economy