The United Nations (UN) has told major tech firms to fully power their Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers with renewable energy by 2030 or risk pushing the planet’s climate goals off track.

This was the rallying cry from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday in New York, as he launched a new report titled “Seizing the Moment of Opportunity”, produced in collaboration with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The report outlines urgent steps needed to fast-track the global energy transition.

“AI can boost efficiency, innovation, and resilience in energy systems, but it is also energy hungry. This is not sustainable, unless we make it so,” Guterres warned.

The report highlights the growing strain that artificial intelligence and cloud computing are placing on global power systems.

While renewable energy adoption is accelerating, driven by plummeting costs, the UN says progress is concentrated in developed markets, particularly the U.S., Europe, and China.

In contrast, developing countries are falling behind, with limited access to financing, infrastructure, and clean energy technologies.

Africa, for instance, attracted just 1.5% of global renewable energy investment in 2024, despite housing 85% of the world’s people without electricity access.

“The race for the new must not be a race for the few. It must be a relay, shared, inclusive, and resilient,” Guterres said.

The report also notes that since the Paris Agreement came into force in 2016, less than one in five dollars invested in clean power has gone to emerging markets outside of China.

Despite geopolitical risks and short-term volatility, the UN report notes that clean energy is becoming more competitive by the day.

More than 90% of new renewable projects now produce electricity at a lower cost than the cheapest fossil fuel option.