AI Data Centers Are Chugging Our Water at an Alarming Rate
A new study shows U.S. facilities could require up to 1.45 billion gallons per day of new peak capacity. Who will bear the cost?
AI data centers have an insatiable thirst for water, and communities are scrambling to keep up. That’s according to a new study led by Shaolei Ren, an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside, as reported by Gizmodo.
Because these data centers operate continuously, they generate massive heat from servers and IT infrastructure. Liquid cooling techniques prevent overheating, but they also consume huge amounts of water through evaporative cooling towers. A large state-of-the-art data center can require over 1 million gallons per day during peak periods.
To address the growing demand, Ren and his colleagues recommend requiring data centers to disclose their maximum daily water needs, not just yearly totals, so communities can properly plan infrastructure. They also support developing corporate-community partnerships to fund infrastructure upgrades so residents don’t shoulder the entire burden, which is estimated to be between $10 billion and $58 billion.
AI data centers have an insatiable thirst for water, and communities are scrambling to keep up. That’s according to a new study led by Shaolei Ren, an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside, as reported by Gizmodo.
Because these data centers operate continuously, they generate massive heat from servers and IT infrastructure. Liquid cooling techniques prevent overheating, but they also consume huge amounts of water through evaporative cooling towers. A large state-of-the-art data center can require over 1 million gallons per day during peak periods.
To address the growing demand, Ren and his colleagues recommend requiring data centers to disclose their maximum daily water needs, not just yearly totals, so communities can properly plan infrastructure. They also support developing corporate-community partnerships to fund infrastructure upgrades so residents don’t shoulder the entire burden, which is estimated to be between $10 billion and $58 billion.
