AI Endgame: AI datacenters are guzzling billions of gallons of fresh water

AI Endgame newsletter #10

Nov 15, 2024

Nov. 15, 2024

https://debbiecoffey.substack.com/p/ai-endgame-ai-datacenters-are-guzzling

By Debbie Coffey, AI Endgame

Thanks for reading my newsletter. For the past 14 years, I’ve followed the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) aggressive removal of America’s wild horses from their (supposedly) protected areas on public lands. The BLM claims to remove the wild horses (that are on the brink of extinction) because there isn’t enough water or forage. At the same time, the BLM turns a blind eye to the water usage of hundreds of thousands of privately owned livestock on the same public lands.

As I was taking a closer look at the BLM’s actions, I did a lot of research regarding aquifers, drought and water on public lands in the western U.S. Taking into consideration the amounts of water used for mining, agriculture and other uses, I wondered how much water AI datacenters use.

Tech giants like Amazon Google, Meta, and Microsoft use large “hyperscale” AI datacenters. As more datacenters are built, the water necessary to operate them will increase exponentially. Datacenters require the use of water for their cooling systems, in order to control the heat produced by running servers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How much water do datacenters use?

One “hyperscale” AI datacenter uses about 550,000 gallons of water a day. This adds up to about 200 million gallons of water a year. [1]

Since the average person uses about 82 gallons of water a day, this means one hyperscale datacenter uses as much water as 6,707 people. [2]

To put this into context, the U.S. currently has about 500 hyperscale datacenters using about 275 million gallons of water per day (this is much more water than the people of Chicago use each day).

Researchers at UC Riverside estimated that with increasing global AI demand, datacenters could use over 1 trillion gallons of fresh water by 2027. [3]

In 2024, a study was published in the journal Science Advances indicating the West’s recent heat-driven megadroughts are unprecedented in at least 500 years. In fact, the last twenty years in the West have been the driest in 1,200 years.

“’Hot drought’ - when extreme drought and heat occur simultaneously - has increased in severity and frequency over the last century due to human-caused climate change…” [4]

Meanwhile, the East has had a catastrophic hurricane season due to several factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean. [5] In fact, because of warmer ocean temperatures, a vital system of Atlantic Ocean currents, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), could collapse as soon as the late 2030s. [6]

As global climate change accelerates, weather conditions are expected to become much harsher, and many regions worldwide are already facing a water crisis.

Water is the “new gold”

Water is our most valuable resource.

97.5% of Earth’s water is salt water. Only 2.5% of Earth’s water is fresh water (the type of water humans drink and need for survival).

Yet, each day, about 10 billion tons of fresh water is used worldwide, including uses in manufacturing, products, and agriculture.

Water shortage is a bigger problem today more than ever because as we’re using up our available supply, our population continues to grow and with it, the demand for more water. [7]

The United Nations predicts that by 2030, the global demand for fresh water will exceed the supply by 40%. [8]

Why do datacenters use so much water?

Datacenters have sensitive IT equipment that is constantly running, and if this equipment overheats, it will malfunction and breakdown. Datacenters require most water for cooling systems, including cooling towers, chillers, heat exchangers, condensers, computer room air handler units, pumps and fire suppression systems.

Datacenters also require water for humidification systems because drier air creates static electricity buildup that can lead to electrostatic discharges that are dangerous for the sensitive equipment. [9]

Datacenters also contribute to water use indirectly, because the electricity used in datacenters is provided by off-site power generator plants that also use water. [10]

$$$ = water

Datacenters are being built in areas with hot climates, where more cooling is needed (and more water is needed for this). Water-scarce cities have made trade-offs between conservation and economic development. Cash-rich tech companies are a big draw. [11] Examples of this include the many datacenters built in Mesa, Arizona and the datacenters Facebook has built in Las Lunas, New Mexico. [12]

Water management by datacenters

Datacenters get their water from municipal or regional water companies. This is the same “pool” of fresh drinking water that’s also needed by humans. [13]

Some of the water used by AI datacenters evaporates into the air, then into the atmosphere. This water may not return to the earth’s surface until a year later. [14]

What happens to the water after it’s used by datacenters?

Some of the water used by AI datacenters evaporates into the air (and into the atmosphere). This water may not return to the earth’s surface until a year later. [15]

Sometimes water is run through the cooling system multiple times and then the water is discharged into an industrial wastewater treatment facility or into a river, lake or ocean (these releases into natural water sources are regulated so the water temperature won’t be too high and have a negative impact on the ecosystem.) [16]

Steps datacenters can take to use less water

Some ways datacenters can use less water include:

· Collect and analyze water usage data, Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).

· Build new facilities in cooler climates (more water is used for cooling datacenters in hot climates).

· Use other cooling methods to reduce the amount of water needed (like using industrial fans).

· Use different sources of water (instead of using potable water from reservoirs, use seawater, or find ways to use non-potable water).

· Use more modern cooling systems and technologies. [17]

To those of us who have been turning off the water while we brush our teeth, we now need to get involved when we find out that datacenters are being planned in areas with hot climates.

Next week: Will lax AI safety regulations by the Trump Administration doom humanity?

Find links to all archived AI Endgame newsletters HERE.

What you can do:

1) Call your representatives and tell them you “want regulations to pause AI now, until strong AI safety laws are enacted.”

Find out how to contact your Congressional representatives here:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Find out how to contact your Senators here:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm?Class=1

2) Support (and if you can, make donations to) organizations fighting for AI Safety:

Pause AI

https://pauseai.info/

Center for Humane Technology