AI Boom Drives ‘Tidal Wave’ of PFAS Production

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The rapid expansion of the artificial intelligence industry is driving a new wave of demand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals”, raising concerns among environmental campaigners about the long-term consequences for human health and the planet.

A campaign organisation has warned that major PFAS manufacturers are preparing to expand production as AI-related infrastructure accelerates worldwide. The chemicals are increasingly being used in semiconductor manufacturing and in advanced cooling technologies designed to manage the enormous amounts of heat generated by modern data centres.

The warning comes amid growing international concern about PFAS contamination. The substances are valued by industry because of their exceptional resistance to heat, water, corrosion and chemical degradation. However, the same properties that make them useful also make them extraordinarily persistent once released into the environment.

Research and environmental monitoring have increasingly linked exposure to certain PFAS compounds with serious health concerns. Campaigners argue that expanding production at a time when governments are considering tighter restrictions could make future pollution significantly harder and more expensive to control.

ChemSec, a Swedish chemicals watchdog, surveyed the world’s 10 largest PFAS producers and found that almost all were planning to increase production at facilities across Europe, Asia and North America. The organisation said the rapid growth of artificial intelligence had become an important driver of this expansion.

Anne-Sofie Bäckar, executive director of ChemSec, warned that the industry’s expansion could create another major environmental challenge unless governments and regulators accelerate efforts to reduce dependence on PFAS.

The technology sector’s growing appetite for high-performance computing has created enormous demand for data centres. These facilities require sophisticated cooling systems because AI processors and other advanced computing hardware can generate substantially more heat than conventional computer equipment.

PFAS have emerged as an important component of some next-generation cooling technologies. One system, known as two-phase immersion cooling, involves immersing servers in a specialised liquid with a low boiling point. When the hardware heats the liquid, it boils and carries heat away from the equipment. The vapour then reaches a cooled condensing surface, turns back into liquid and returns to the system.

Supporters of the technology argue that such cooling systems can reduce water and energy requirements compared with some conventional approaches. As demand for AI computing capacity grows, manufacturers see data-centre cooling as an important commercial opportunity.

Japanese company Daikin, one of the world’s major fluorochemical producers, has identified data centres as an area for expansion. The company has indicated that it intends to increase sales of existing fluorine-based products while introducing new products to take advantage of rising demand from the data-centre industry.

French chemicals manufacturer Arkema is also expanding its refrigerant business. Its investment in a new production unit in Kentucky is intended in part to respond to the rapidly growing cooling requirements of data centres.

US-based Chemours has similarly highlighted advanced data centres and AI hardware as areas of increasing demand. The company has promoted liquid-cooling technologies that it says can reduce energy, water, space, maintenance and investment requirements for data-centre operators.

The expansion plans have nevertheless attracted criticism because of concerns over the environmental persistence of PFAS. The carbon-fluorine bonds that characterise these substances are among the strongest bonds in organic chemistry. This gives PFAS their exceptional durability, but it also means that many compounds can remain in the environment for extremely long periods.

Once released, PFAS can move through water, soil and air and eventually enter biological systems. Their persistence means that contamination can accumulate over time rather than disappearing naturally. Scientists have therefore raised concerns that increasing production could contribute to a growing global pollution burden.

PFAS are not limited to data-centre applications. The chemicals are also used at various stages of semiconductor manufacturing, an industry whose expansion is closely connected to the growth of AI.

Modern semiconductor production involves extremely precise processes conducted at microscopic and nanoscopic scales. PFAS-based materials can provide properties needed to withstand demanding chemical and thermal conditions during chip manufacturing.

The connection between PFAS and semiconductor production makes the chemicals particularly significant to the AI economy. Artificial intelligence systems rely on increasingly powerful processors, while the construction of the data centres needed to operate those systems requires advanced hardware and cooling technologies.

The chemicals are also being promoted for other growing technology sectors. Manufacturers have identified PFAS coatings and binders used in lithium-ion batteries as another potential source of future demand. Such batteries are widely used in electric vehicles, laptops, smartphones and other electronic devices.

Gujarat Fluorochemicals, an India-based producer, has described batteries, data centres, semiconductors and green hydrogen as promising growth sectors. The company has pointed to strong future demand across these areas as a major commercial opportunity.

ChemSec’s survey identified several other manufacturers planning to expand their PFAS-related activities. They include Japan’s AGC, China’s Dongyue, Gujarat Fluorochemicals, Russia’s HaloPolymer, Mexico-based Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials, US producer Solstice and Belgian multinational Syensqo.

However, the industry is not moving uniformly towards greater production. ChemSec identified Archroma of Switzerland as a notable exception because the company is shifting towards PFAS-free alternatives. German chemical giant BASF has also said it intends to leave PFAS production by 2028.

The contrasting strategies highlight a growing debate over whether technological development should continue to depend on chemicals that can remain in the environment for generations.

Environmental campaigners are particularly concerned that rapid AI expansion could create a powerful new economic incentive for PFAS production at precisely the moment governments are considering stronger restrictions.

Europe, the UK and parts of the United States have been examining measures aimed at reducing PFAS pollution and limiting the use of some of the substances. Campaigners fear that investment linked to AI infrastructure could complicate those efforts by creating new demand from rapidly expanding industries.

The issue also presents a potential financial risk for manufacturers and technology companies. Analysts have warned that PFAS contamination could eventually generate substantial costs associated with environmental remediation, litigation and regulatory compliance.

The scale of the potential challenge is partly related to the sheer persistence of the substances. Unlike many conventional industrial chemicals that degrade relatively quickly, PFAS can remain in ecosystems for extended periods and circulate through environmental and biological systems.

Scientists have already reported widespread human exposure to PFAS. Studies have detected these chemicals in the blood of people across the world, while research has associated exposure to some PFAS compounds with health effects involving the liver, kidneys, cholesterol levels, reproductive health and certain cancers.

ChemSec has sought to draw attention to the issue by sending finger-prick blood testing kits to chief executives of European companies included in its list of major PFAS producers. The organisation has encouraged executives to test their own blood and make the results public.

For campaigners, the exercise is intended to demonstrate that PFAS exposure is not an abstract environmental problem affecting distant communities. Because the chemicals are widespread, people involved in producing them can also be exposed to the substances.

The controversy illustrates a difficult contradiction at the heart of the AI boom. The technology promises major advances in science, business and society, but its infrastructure requires vast quantities of energy, water, specialised equipment and industrial materials.

As countries compete to build more data centres and companies race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems, demand for the chemicals used to manufacture chips and cool computing equipment is likely to remain significant.

The central question for regulators and industry is whether the benefits of these technologies can be achieved while reducing dependence on substances that are exceptionally difficult to remove from the environment.

Environmental campaigners argue that expanding PFAS production without a clear transition towards safer alternatives risks creating a pollution legacy that future generations will have to manage. Industry, meanwhile, continues to emphasise the technical advantages of fluorinated materials and their role in supporting modern electronics and energy-efficient infrastructure.

The growing conflict between those positions is likely to intensify as AI becomes more deeply embedded in the global economy. For policymakers, the challenge will be to balance technological progress with environmental protection before today’s infrastructure investments become tomorrow’s pollution liabilities.