I have issued two changes to my book regarding the water footprint of data centers:
When it comes to total water use, AI data centers are a drop in the bucket
Even moderately sized data centers can have an outsized local impact.
Water Use Isn’t a Data Center Problem, It’s an AI Problem
Critics of the AI build-out are picking the wrong fight when they attack data centers for their water use. But they are right when they say the digital economy is getting thirstier and the tech industry should answer for it.The whole AI supply chain is water intensive, and reducing use in one ...
How much of a problem is AI’s water use?
AI’s water footprint is growing, but location and cooling technology make a difference.
AI Data Centers Use Far More Water Than Most Tech Giants Report
Water used at the power plants that supply electricity to data centers can be much greater than the water used in the data centers themselves.
Data center guzzled 30 million gallons of water and nobody noticed for months
Can AI save us from the AI industry’s endless thirst for water? Outlook not so good.
Majority of US’s new AI datacenters to be built on drought-hit land
Guardian analysis finds facilities to be built in some of the driest areas as outcry grows over water needed to power AI
You’re Thinking About AI and Water All Wrong
Fears about AI data centers’ water use have exploded. Experts say the reality is far more complicated than people think.
The Often Overlooked Water Footprint of AI Models
… and what that means for individuals, newsrooms, and journalists
Not enough water for UK’s datacentre plans, trade body says
Industry says government’s failure to address cooling demands means AI growth plans are ‘fatally flawed’
Amazon’s data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year
Amazon’s using a lot of water, but claims it’s using it efficiently.
A data center drained 30M gallons of water unnoticed — until residents complained about low water pressure
Residents in Fayetteville, Georgia, noticed low water pressure last year. The utility discovered two unaccounted-for water connections at one of the nation’s largest data center campuses.
A data center drained 30M gallons of water unnoticed — until residents complained about low water pressure
Residents in Fayetteville, Georgia, noticed low water pressure last year. The utility discovered two unaccounted-for water connections at one of the nation’s largest data center campuses.
How data centres are draining water and energy from the Global South
The story started in Georgia, US—not with a law being broken in some faraway place, but with residents noticing something wrong in their own homes: the water pressure kept dropping unusually.
Anthropic taps SpaceX AI data center to expand Claude capacity
Anthropic taps SpaceX AI data center to expand Claude capacity
The AI data center e-waste problem is huge — and getting bigger
It’s even bigger than previously thought.
