Data centres could suck up 644 billion litres a year without gains in water efficiency
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
The AI data centre scale-up is escalating at such a pace that water consumption by these facilities could triple by the end of the decade, says an energy researcher.
Rystad Energy estimates that data centres consumed 222 billion litres of water for cooling in 2025, but that consumption could rise to just under 644 billion litres a year by 2030 without gains in water efficiency.
That’s the worst case scenario. Rystad estimates that with some improvements, water consumption could be reduced to 543 billion litres. In an aggressive water-saving scenario, it could be cut to 388 billion litres.
Breaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. Weekdays by 9 a.m.
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Posthaste will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.
“These figures only capture direct cooling-water consumption, while the less visible water footprint embedded in the electricity supply adds another layer of complexity,” said Minh Khoi Le, global head of data center and hydrogen research at Rystad Energy.
Data centres use water primarily to remove heat generated by the computers, but how much they use varies significantly depending on the cooling technology and the climate.
Dry cooling, such as that proposed for Nvidia Corp.’s Vera Rubin platform, could cut on-site water use by more than two litres for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of IT load, but it requires more electricity.
