Water at Risk: The Hidden Dangers of Data Centers

Breaking News: Water Consumption of Data Centers Raises Red Flags

Key Points:

• Data centers use massive amounts of water, equivalent to a town of 30,000 to 50,000 people, for various functions such as cooling, air-conditioning, and power generation.
• The water usage is a growing concern, with global tech companies like Microsoft experiencing a 34% increase in water use during the development of AI tools.
• Experts are calling for tech companies to accurately report their energy and water usage and for governments to regulate the use of drinking water for cooling in data centers.

A new report from the Royal Academy of Engineering has sounded the alarm on the water consumption of data centers, highlighting the growing concern in the United Kingdom and its implications for the United States. Data centers, already a major draw on local power resources, are also guzzling water at an alarming rate.

According to a BBC report, a typical data center can use between 11 million and 19 million liters (2.9 million to five million gallons) of water per day, equivalent to the water needs of a town of 30,000 to 50,000 people. This water is used for direct-to-chip cooling, air-conditioning, and cooling power generators, which can be significant considering the massive size of data centers.

The report cites an example of Microsoft’s global water use increasing by 34% while developing its initial AI tools, and a data center cluster in Iowa using 6% of the district’s water supply in one month during the training of OpenAI’s GPT-4.

Experts are warning of a real risk of environmental damage if action is not taken to reduce the use of drinking water for cooling in data centers. "We face a real risk that our development, deployment, and use of AI could do irreparable damage to the environment," warns Professor Tom Rodden, one of the report’s authors.

The situation is particularly concerning in the UK, which lacks the significant water resources found in the United States, such as the Great Lakes and major rivers. However, the problem is not unique to the UK, as seen in the case of Arizona, where a new AI-oriented data center was found to be draining the water supply of a small town.

To address the issue, experts are calling for tech companies to accurately report their energy and water usage and for governments to regulate the use of drinking water for cooling in data centers. "I believe some data center operators just bowed out" in response to water restrictions, notes Alan Howard, senior analyst with Omdia. "Considering the numbers presented in the article, I feel the industry needs a benchmark, like how much water is required per unit device/rack/square foot area. Power utilization in a data center has a benchmark, and water consumption should also have one," adds Naveen Chhabra, principal analyst at Forrester Research.

As the world moves towards a more digital future, it’s essential to address the environmental impact of data centers and find sustainable solutions to their water consumption.

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