PFAS AI surge
High-tech server rack in a secure data center with network cables and hardware components; AI boom fuels PFAS surge, watchdog warns of toxic wave Sergei Starostin/Pexels

Most of the companies ChemSec identifies among the world's biggest PFAS producers, the group of synthetic compounds known as 'forever chemicals', are planning to expand their production capacity to meet growing demand from the artificial intelligence industry and other sectors, according to a new report from Swedish chemicals organisation ChemSec.

The group has warned that the planned expansion could trigger a fresh 'tidal wave' of the substances just as governments in Europe, the UK and the US are taking steps to restrict some PFAS uses.

ChemSec's research, published on 13 September, found the expansion is being driven largely by three sources of demand: AI and datacentre infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing and lithium-ion battery materials.

PFAS exposure has been associated with a range of health effects, including some cancers, reproductive and developmental effects and changes in cholesterol levels, according to health authorities, while many PFAS are highly persistent in the environment.

Why AI Is Driving the Surge

Datacentres running AI systems generate intense heat, and PFAS-based fluids are being developed and used in advanced cooling systems where servers can be submerged directly in a chemical bath that draws heat away as the fluid boils.

The same chemical family is also used at multiple stages of semiconductor fabrication, the manufacturing process used to produce the chips that power AI hardware.

ChemSec found that manufacturers are openly citing this demand in their own investment plans. 'These companies' expansion plans show that unless governments and regulators insist on a rapid phaseout, we will face a new tidal wave of forever chemicals,' said Anne-Sofie Bäckar, ChemSec's executive director.

A Handful of Holdouts

Not every major producer is expanding. German chemicals giant BASF has said it will phase out PFAS-formulated products, excluding pesticides, by 2028, while Swiss firm Archroma has been developing and marketing PFAS-free alternatives rather than pursuing the same expansion strategy.

ChemSec also highlights 3M as an exception, after the company completed its exit from PFAS manufacturing at the end of 2025. ChemSec's report frames these companies as exceptions in an industry where several producers are expanding capacity, with investments and new facilities planned across Europe, Asia and North America.

The Regulatory Stakes

The warning lands at a sensitive moment for chemical policy. The EU, UK and US have all been taking steps to address PFAS, although the scope and status of those measures vary.

The EU is evaluating a broad restriction proposal covering PFAS under its chemicals regulation, while the UK published a cross-government PFAS Plan in 2026 focused on understanding sources, tackling pathways and reducing exposure.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed maintaining federal drinking-water limits for PFOA and PFOS while allowing some water systems an additional two years, until 2031, to comply.

If the planned capacity expansions translate into increased production, they could increase the amount of PFAS entering the global supply chain at a time when regulators are seeking to reduce exposure and environmental releases.

For UK and EU readers, the outcome could influence how quickly promised PFAS measures develop and how prominently the AI industry's environmental footprint features in the debate.

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