Data centers make the water crisis worse
Amazon, Microsoft, and Google's tendency to build data centers in some of the world's driest regions is making the risk of water crisis even worse. A study by the news organization SourceMaterial and the Guardian found that giant technology companies are using huge amounts of water to operate data centers, often in water-scarce areas and expanding rapidly in vulnerable areas. With political support, they are promoting plans to build hundreds of data centers across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, according to Interesting Engineering.
Data centers, used to store, process data and train AI models, require large volumes of water for cooling. Built inland to avoid metal erosion from humidity and seawater, their location is often kept secret. SourceMaterial identified 38 data centers operating in water-stressed areas and another 24 that the three giant tech companies are developing. Using public sources, they mapped 632 hubs in operation or under construction around the world, with 78% planning to expand due to rising demand for cloud storage and AI.
Although water use is less of a concern in wet areas, Microsoft reports 42% of water consumption in water-stressed areas by 2023 and Google puts the figure at 15% while Amazon does not disclose it. However, all three companies are expanding data centers in some of the world's most arid regions. In the Aragon region of Spain, Amazon is building three newly licensed data centers to consume about 755,720 m3 of water annually, enough to irrigate 233 hectares of corn fields, the main crop in the region. Experts estimate water usage will be higher if water used to produce electricity to supply the facility is included.
Big tech companies have set ambitious goals of compensating for more water than they consume. Amazon says it can meet the target by 2030. Currently, the company offsets 41% of water use in unsustainable areas. Microsoft and Google also pledged to reach similar goals by 2030, while also finding ways to use water more efficiently. In March, Amazon announced an AI tool to help farmers in Aragon save water. According to the company, the project cannot compensate for water but can support local communities.
Amazon remains the world's largest owner of data centers, but Google and Microsoft are quickly following. In the US, which has the highest number of data centers, Google is most active in arid regions, with seven centers operating in water-stressed areas and another six under construction. Meta also opened a $1 billion data center in Mesa, Arizona, in addition to two others operating in neighboring Maricopa County.
According to Bloomberg, Microsoft is recently reducing the scale of some data center construction plans. The company also introduced a waterless data center design. Google said it will apply air cooling to reduce water usage, although it did not share details about the method.
An Khang (According to Interesting Engineering)