Large data centers consume massive amounts of water—often between 1 to 5 million gallons daily for a large facility—primarily for evaporative cooling to prevent servers from overheating. This staggering consumption directly impacts local water supplies, sparking sustainability concerns, particularly in drought-prone or water-stressed regions.
Data center developers are increasingly tapping into freshwater resources to quench the thirst of data centers, which is putting nearby communities at risk.
Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people.
With larger and new AI-focused data centers, water consumption is increasing alongside energy usage and carbon emissions.
Yes thank you. People throw out numbers with zero perspective based on comparative factors and assume it’s a lot and freak out. We have no idea how to put it into perspective.
Yeah, so if the real issue is that the data centers are literally evaporating all the water (I still call bullshit on that) then why not just make make the building of a new data center conditional on the terms that they agree to use a closed loop water cooling system (re-cool the water themselves). Seems like a pretty simple solution....Honestly I don't believe that this data center water evap thing is even really why the water is "missing", if the water is even missing. They are hiding something. This whole topic stinks of psyop.
Why not just build a shitload of data centers by the Hoover Dam and use as much water as they need? Then they'll have more water and electricity than they know what to do with.....This whole issue sounds like a midwit level psyop.....
Data centers aren't built in remote isolation because they require massive amounts of electrical power, heavy-duty fiber-optic networks, and highly specialized on-site personnel. Building too far from population centers increases "latency" (the time it takes for data to travel), which slows down internet speeds and application performance.
Hard to believe a hard researching anon ssuch as yourself wouldn't know that, but there it is.
Seriously? -_- Do you even understand where and what the hoover dam is? Do you even understand how little the latency difference are on a direct fiber network for 5, 50, and 500 miles? It is not like we are talking about public internet level pings here guys. You can't tell me that an AI data center needs less latency than any any online gamer ever gets. Ok, here is an easy one for you: If they are using up all the water as is being claimed then how does the data center stay operational? Use your brains guys.
You seem to be the kind of person who looks at questions as attacks. You should work on that. People have real questions on this issue. If you think you have real answers try being content providing them and maybe forgo the insults toward the end. Maybe you’re right, maybe not, but questioning the motives of everyone who asks honest questions is…bad form.
@Grok please put these numbers into context. How does this copare to other industrial facilities? Are data centers really that much worse than a battery factory or something?
Computers and hard drives consume a lot of electricity. They throw it off as heat. Lots of heat. I have a 20x24 off with a computer and a lot of hard drives. I barely use any heat in the winter, as the heat from the computer and hard drives warms the room. Just imagine if you had multiple Super Walmarts crammed full of computers and hard drives. You would require water cooling. The water comes from the ground, as most places use wells for their water supply. The equipment is so hot, that the water turns to steam and goes into the air. It is taken from the aquifers faster than the rain cycle can ever add to them. Once the level gets low enough, the cities and towns can get any more water from their wells.
And where is this happening currently. Have many data centers picked their locations so poorly that the neighboring communities, as well as themselves, have been unable to access any water anymore as a result? Or is the fact that such a thing is POSSIBLE more important than whether or not it’s likely?
Prove it. How do servers suck the aquifers dry?
Here is an Overview:
Large data centers consume massive amounts of water—often between 1 to 5 million gallons daily for a large facility—primarily for evaporative cooling to prevent servers from overheating. This staggering consumption directly impacts local water supplies, sparking sustainability concerns, particularly in drought-prone or water-stressed regions.
Data center developers are increasingly tapping into freshwater resources to quench the thirst of data centers, which is putting nearby communities at risk.
Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people.
With larger and new AI-focused data centers, water consumption is increasing alongside energy usage and carbon emissions.
Source:
https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-centers-and-water-consumption
Or read this: Why Do Data Centers Need Water? Especially Billions of Gallons?
https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/why-do-data-centers-need-water.htm
good post.
Thanks.
Nailed it.
Its probably worth adding for perspective:
Supposedly California almond production uses 4.2 billion gallons of water per day
Supposedly Golf courses use 1.4 billion gallons of water per day.
Yes thank you. People throw out numbers with zero perspective based on comparative factors and assume it’s a lot and freak out. We have no idea how to put it into perspective.
💯🎯
https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Water%20Resource%20Center/how-much-water-does-golf-use.pdf
1.4 Billion gallons is all the golf courses in the country combined. The average golf course in the US uses around 300,000 gallons a day.
Thanks for pointing that out. I should have been clearer in my post.
Yeah, so if the real issue is that the data centers are literally evaporating all the water (I still call bullshit on that) then why not just make make the building of a new data center conditional on the terms that they agree to use a closed loop water cooling system (re-cool the water themselves). Seems like a pretty simple solution....Honestly I don't believe that this data center water evap thing is even really why the water is "missing", if the water is even missing. They are hiding something. This whole topic stinks of psyop.
Bunch of other reasons peoole don't want them in their midst even if the water usage was a psyop, which it is not. Lol.
Why not just build a shitload of data centers by the Hoover Dam and use as much water as they need? Then they'll have more water and electricity than they know what to do with.....This whole issue sounds like a midwit level psyop.....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hoover-Dam
Data centers aren't built in remote isolation because they require massive amounts of electrical power, heavy-duty fiber-optic networks, and highly specialized on-site personnel. Building too far from population centers increases "latency" (the time it takes for data to travel), which slows down internet speeds and application performance.
Hard to believe a hard researching anon ssuch as yourself wouldn't know that, but there it is.
Seriously? -_- Do you even understand where and what the hoover dam is? Do you even understand how little the latency difference are on a direct fiber network for 5, 50, and 500 miles? It is not like we are talking about public internet level pings here guys. You can't tell me that an AI data center needs less latency than any any online gamer ever gets. Ok, here is an easy one for you: If they are using up all the water as is being claimed then how does the data center stay operational? Use your brains guys.
You seem to be the kind of person who looks at questions as attacks. You should work on that. People have real questions on this issue. If you think you have real answers try being content providing them and maybe forgo the insults toward the end. Maybe you’re right, maybe not, but questioning the motives of everyone who asks honest questions is…bad form.
You're a much better person than I. If someone had told me "prove it" I'd have replied, "Get off your lazy ass and go do the research yourself."
@Grok please put these numbers into context. How does this copare to other industrial facilities? Are data centers really that much worse than a battery factory or something?
Yeah it’s not the computers using the water dummy it’s the evaporative chillers
Computers and hard drives consume a lot of electricity. They throw it off as heat. Lots of heat. I have a 20x24 off with a computer and a lot of hard drives. I barely use any heat in the winter, as the heat from the computer and hard drives warms the room. Just imagine if you had multiple Super Walmarts crammed full of computers and hard drives. You would require water cooling. The water comes from the ground, as most places use wells for their water supply. The equipment is so hot, that the water turns to steam and goes into the air. It is taken from the aquifers faster than the rain cycle can ever add to them. Once the level gets low enough, the cities and towns can get any more water from their wells.
And where is this happening currently. Have many data centers picked their locations so poorly that the neighboring communities, as well as themselves, have been unable to access any water anymore as a result? Or is the fact that such a thing is POSSIBLE more important than whether or not it’s likely?