The UK wants to lead in Artificial Intelligence (AI), but this could use up more water. Data centres, needed for AI, use a lot of water to cool down. But we don’t know if this water is sustainable or where it comes from.
The tech industry says it is working on better ways to cool data centres without wasting water. Still, the government says data centres can cause harm to the environment. The UK government wants to build more data centres to help the economy. These centres need a lot of energy. These centres will get special access to the power grid. This could hurt the UK’s clean energy goals.
Data centres are known for using a lot of energy, but now people are noticing how much water they use. Data centres use fresh water to cool their machines. Dr. Venkatesh Uddameri, a water expert, says one data centre can use 11 to 19 million litres of water every day. This is the same as what a town of 30,000 to 50,000 people would use.
For example, Microsoft’s water use went up by 34% while making AI tools. One data centre cluster in Iowa used 6% of the town’s water in one month. In the UK, the south is at risk of droughts. Thames Water says data centres may face water limits during heatwaves.
Around the world, people are protesting data centres. Google stopped building a data centre in Chile after protests. In the UK, Thames Water warned against building more data centres in areas with low water. Some projects are still moving forward.
The Royal Academy of Engineering wants rules that force data centres to report their water and energy use. They also suggest using closed-loop cooling systems, which recycle water. Microsoft is using this kind of system in new data centres in Phoenix and Wisconsin.
Digital Realty, a big data centre operator, is testing an AI tool to save water. Aaron Binckley from Digital Realty says the tool could save four million litres of water a year. He believes AI can help both technology and the environment.
The UK government is working with water companies to solve future water needs. Ofwat, the water regulator, has a new plan to invest £104 billion into water systems. Still, experts want data centres to plan their water use better and find new ways to get water, like recycling it.
By 2050, the Environment Agency says England will need five billion more litres of water a day. To reach this goal, the tech industry, water companies, and the government must work together to keep both the economy and the environment safe.