The development of artificial intelligence and the increasing number of data centers around the world may lead to a serious copper shortage in the coming decades.
Oku.AzAccording to information provided by Vandita Pant, CFO of the mining company BHP Billiton, in an interview with the Financial Times.
Copper is a key component in many areas related to the transition to a low-carbon economy. It is used in the production of electric cables, electric cars, solar panels and wind turbines.
According to BHP’s forecasts, global copper demand could increase by 72% to 52.5 million tonnes per year by 2050. In comparison, in 2021 this figure was 30.4 million tonnes. The main drivers of growth will be energy-intensive data centres and artificial intelligence systems. While their share is currently less than 1% of copper consumption, by 2050 this figure could rise to 6-7%, which means an additional 3.4 million tonnes per year.
