Internet machinery consumes water as a city of 8 million inhabitants

• The world's large data centers consume 420 billion liters per year
• Companies are looking for alternatives in the face of the growing drought that the planet is suffering

The internet infrastructure’s heat mitigation requires a significant amount of water, a problem exacerbated by drought. This has led many communities to take drastic measures and has spurred the development of innovative cooling solutions for servers, such as submerging them in the sea or in mineral oils.

While there are no precise figures for the global water consumption of the digital sector, it is estimated that the approximately 700 hyperscale data centers worldwide, not including conventional ones, could consume around 420 billion liters of water annually. This is equivalent to the water usage of a city with approximately 8 million residents, like New York.

Given this situation, companies are racing to innovate and find solutions to the internet’s enormous water footprint. This issue is in addition to the significant and potentially harmful energy footprint if non-renewable sources are used.

Marina Otero, an architect who has been honored with the esteemed Wheelwright Prize from Harvard, shared this information with Efe. In addition to her accolades, Otero is an alumna of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and Columbia University in New York. She has also served as the research director of the National Center for Architecture in the Netherlands.

Submerge them in ocean as an alternative

At present, the focus of large tech companies is on developing water recycling systems or utilizing gray water. There is also interest in constructing data centers in the ocean, where the cool water can help regulate server temperatures, as explained by the expert.

Tests have already been conducted by US companies, and China reportedly has plans to submerge data centers in the ocean on a large scale. However, the architect warns that the heat from these facilities could locally increase sea temperatures, potentially affecting marine life.

Another approach being explored involves immersing servers directly in mineral oils to maintain a constant temperature. This method has proven effective and can extend the lifespan of servers.

“Data centers require stable temperatures to prevent servers from overheating,” Otero explained. As part of her Harvard Wheelwright Prize, she will be visiting various internet infrastructure models worldwide this year to explore sustainable solutions.

In the US, research is being conducted on data storage using synthetic DNA molecules, which would not require water or energy. There are also preliminary plans to move data centers to outer space, where the cold environment could be utilized and solar energy could directly power the infrastructure.

Just like air conditioners at home, data centers consume water and energy for cooling. The architect emphasized that mobile phone data is stored on servers that run on water and energy and emit more CO2 than the aviation industry.

She advocates for sustainable awareness in digital data consumption, not just by individuals but also by companies. In regions with low rainfall and prolonged droughts, such as the Mediterranean and South America, the high water consumption of data centers is becoming a significant issue.

“When a data center is located in a region, it directly competes for water and energy with nearby populations,” she added.

Water War: Data Centers vs. Citizens

Data centers consume 3-5 million gallons of water daily, equal to a city's needs for 30,000-50,000 people. Despite improvements, water usage remains high, posing concerns amid water scarcity and climate-induced droughts. In 2017, Google's request for 1.5 million gallons daily sparked worries in a drought-affected area. With climate change exacerbating droughts, companies relying on data centers must prioritize water conservation.

The competition for water access between data centers and people has already sparked public protests. For instance, in Santiago, Chile, local residents halted the construction of a data center owned by a major US tech company. They demonstrated that the facility would significantly deplete the local aquifer, leaving the community with scarce resources. Eventually, the company abandoned its construction plans, pending the development of cooling systems that would reduce the facility’s water consumption.

In contrast, Nordic countries like Scandinavia have a climate more conducive to cooling data centers, as the thermal difference between the interior and exterior is less pronounced. Despite lower water stress, these regions are highly innovative in sustainability and are actively seeking alternatives to reduce water and energy consumption.

In cities like Stockholm, the immense heat generated by data centers is repurposed and distributed as city heating. There are also projects that “recycle” the thermal impact of digital infrastructures to heat greenhouses for growing vegetables and raising species.

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