Data centers have been getting a lot of attention because of controversy, talk about energy use, and now concerns about their water use. The growth of cloud computing has expanded data centers and scaled them in ways that current water systems can’t support. Although data centers are typically linked to high energy use, their water use is becoming a major concern as well. We’ll look at why data centers use so much water, how they are shaping industrial water demand, and how communities are reacting and responding.
Why Data Centers Use Water
Water is a necessity for data centers just as much as electricity, which is why there is growing concern about the impact this can have on our water supply. Data centers need water for a variety of reasons across different components and processes, but cooling is the main one.
Most of the water used in data centers goes to cooling servers, which generate immense heat and need to stay cool to prevent equipment failure. Multiple cooling methods can be used, such as evaporative cooling, air cooling, or chilled water cooling. Water is typically used for cooling in these scenarios because it is more energy efficient than air cooling with the same efficiency. Direct water use, like on-site cooling, and indirect water use, like water used by power plants, both contribute to data centers’ overall water use.
How Much Water Do They Use?
According to reports from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the U.S. data centers consumed about 17 billion gallons of water through cooling in 2023. This kind of water usage is expected to continue as data centers continue being built. Indirect water use is calculated on a more complex scale, but it adds many more gallons to that 17 billion. One of the biggest water users is one of Google’s data centers, which used over 1 billion gallons of water; that’s enough to supply all of Iowa’s residents for five days. This only looks at the surface-level water use of data centers, making it even more necessary to understand current water demand and what the future will look like.
What’s Driving the Surge in Demand?
Demand is high for a few reasons, but most stem from the rise of artificial intelligence, data centers, and merging technologies that need more bandwidth to handle them. Cloud adoption and digital services are also contributing as facilities expand or are built to meet growing needs.
How Data Centers Are Changing Industrial Water Demand
Data centers are undoubtedly changing industrial water demand and driving an influx of demand that wouldn’t otherwise exist. From a shifting industrial water landscape to changing water quality requirements, many changes emerge as more data centers come online. Here’s a deeper look into how data centers are changing industrial water demand.
Pressure on Local Utilities
Municipal utilities and infrastructure are expected to handle the influx of water demand, meaning they need expanded treatment, storage, and distribution capacity, and customers and agreements will also change. Ultimately, city residents will be affected by data center water use, possibly raising rates or causing other problems.
Sharing Resources
Data centers are coming into cities that already have buildings, facilities, and industries using utilities like water. They’ll compete with agriculture, manufacturing, and municipal users, making water demand 24/7 rather than seasonal or shift-based.
Water Quality Requirements
Cooling systems will need treated water to prevent things like corrosion, biological growth, and scaling. This, in turn, will increase the demand for water treatment plants, chemicals, filtration, and management systems.
Climate and Regional Risk
Seasonal and drought concerns can arise with the additional water usage from data centers. Additionally, facilities in water-stressed regions face higher risk, as supply will be even tighter in those areas.
Solutions That Are on the Rise
Several solutions have been discussed, and some are already in motion, to help address water demand issues in data centers. Data centers are expected to keep emerging, so finding solutions that truly help is essential to maintaining supply and demand.
- Cooling technology like closed-loop or liquid cooling, or using free cooling in cool climates
- Alternative water sources like reclaimed or recycled wastewater
- Water sustainability commitments from data centers
- Opting for locations that either are in cooler climates or have more water available
What Can We Expect for the Future of Water Demand
For data centers, we can expect major changes in how water supply is used. The goal right now is to accommodate the data center usage or be strategic in order to avoid pressure on water supply for residents. Since data centers are fairly new, this is a concept that’s just getting attention, as the focus was previously on energy use from these centers. Since artificial intelligence isn’t going away anytime soon and other technologies continue to emerge that require these data centers, we can expect solutions in the future.
Data Centers Are Impacting Water Demand
Data centers were originally recognized for their immense energy usage, but their water usage is another cause for concern. With data centers on the rise and water supply not changing, efforts are underway to meet demand and level out usage as much as possible. Technology, reuse, and planning can reduce strain on the water supply so residents near a center aren’t affected. We can expect more changes to regulations, capacity, location, and technology as the search for a solution continues. Contact us today to learn more.