Room in Data Center / Data Center. (Photo by Dafydd Owen/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty … [+]
Data centers have become big business thanks to the growing role of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things systems in all of our lives.
But there are also concerns about how much electricity and water it takes to keep these centers running, and what impact they could have in areas where resources are scarce.
According to recent research by Morgan Stanley, the global data center industry will have emissions equivalent to 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by the end of 2030.
Harry Wilson, senior analyst at global research firm Verdantix, said research shows that data centers are now the 10u largest water consumers in the US in an interview.
Wilson added that the average mid-sized data facility in the United States uses 300,000 gallons of water each day, and a “staggering percentage” of those data centers are located in areas with high-pressure watersheds where the demand for water exceeds the natural supply.
He said data center cooling systems require a lot of electricity to power them, and if they use evaporative cooling systems, which many do, they will also require a lot of water.
“If you have facilities that use that much water and particularly strained watersheds, it could cause problems for local communities and other watershed users,” Wilson told me.
He added that many data centers are now starting to use closed-loop water cooling systems, which waste less resources.
Or they use “blue roofs” and other rainwater harvesting systems to catch rainwater.
“Data center operators are responding to this problem,” he added.
“They’re starting to look at developing more data centers in northern areas like Oregon where there’s an abundant supply of water.”
“We are also seeing something similar in Europe, with data centers operating in Denmark and Sweden. They move north, because they don’t necessarily need to use energy to actually produce dew for them.
“They can take the fresh atmospheric air and use it to cool the equipment.”
Sara Anzinger, senior vice president of strategy and ESGx at ESG platform Measurabl, said her data benchmarks show that data centers can have a 1,000% higher energy consumption and carbon footprint compared to retail.
Anzinger said the benchmark’s metrics indicate that data centers consume and emit significantly more than other types of real estate on a per-square-foot basis.
He added that regions such as California, Virginia and Washington have the highest concentrations of data centers.
Anzinger said many operators are now considering strategies to mitigate risks related to physical hazard and water stress, especially with increasing pressure from investors and the prospect of further regulation.
“There’s a lot of talk about genetic artificial intelligence and how much more that will increase electricity demand from data centers,” he added.
“And of course, there’s an interesting interplay between water and energy, which we’re watching closely right now.”
Calvin Emanuel, Ecolab’s vice president and general manager, sustainability solutions, said in an interview that data centers are starting to use artificial intelligence to keep their cooling systems running.
Emanuel added water is still the most effective and efficient way to cool data centers, but it’s important to ensure water is used smartly and efficiently by optimizing systems.
He added that it is also important to ensure that the water is of suitable quality to prevent scaling and microbial growth, which can impede cooling and lead to higher energy use.
Emanuel added that data center operators also need to consider how heat waves could put extra strain on their cooling systems.
“If you start having a warmer environment outside, you tend to have increased water scarcity issues, the quality changes and it becomes even more important to do an effective job of managing every drop of water in your operation,” he said. he told me
