Data Centers' Consumption of Water Remains High

10/15/2024

It’s important to recognize that data centers are very expensive furnaces, converting bit production and motion into heat.The rate and volume at which this occurs is directly related to the number of servers involved.The more servers deployed to process and store data, the more heat created and, therefore, more water used. 

“The greatest concern is water availability, both short-term and long-term. Water is becoming a scarce resource and water resources are being continuously strained, especially due to climate change,” Hsiao says. “The water usage at data centers can be significant and often competes with other users such as residential, commercial, industrial, etc. The need to conserve water at data centers is becoming even more critical and the ideal locations for data centers that deploy evaporative systems are often water-scarce.”  

Many municipalities either don’t have the water utility infrastructure to support data centers or have severe constraints that can impact the feasibility of the facility. 

“There is an opportunity for the data center industry to educate society on our collective impact on data center demand,” Farney adds. “The industry is incredibly innovative, and I know will figure out how to power this massive demand, sustainably and reliably.Educating users on the correlation between digital device usage and the direct impact on energy demand is crucial in ensuring sustainability in the industry.” 

Obviously, water consumption of data centers can be significant, so what’s the best way to conserve this resource within the realm of data center operations? As Tumber points out, strategies for conserving water include:  

• Site selection (where possible) to construct data centers in regions where ambient conditions are conducive to minimize water use or where water scarcity is less of a concern  
• Expanding the thermal operating envelope within the data hall to minimize the number of hours when evaporative cooling is needed 
• Incorporating chemical treatment strategies to improve water quality and maximize its potential to support evaporative systems 
• Utilizing water recycling strategies, optimizing system design and equipment selections 

“The data center industry is cognizant of the challenges and headwinds it faces regarding water availability,” Hsiao says. “Many providers are transitioning to cooling systems in new data centers that don’t require water. It is not an easy solution as there is typically an inverse relationship between water and electrical use. But electricity can be sourced from renewable sources so the ecological and carbon footprint of the data center can still be minimized.” 

Wade points out that the future of data centers is expected to continue on a path of rapid growth. However, this growth brings with it several critical concerns, both in terms of environmental sustainability – particularly water conservation – and other operational and infrastructural challenges.  

“This growth presents environmental, operational, and infrastructure challenges,” Wade says. “Water consumption will remain a critical issue as data centers grow in both size and number, particularly in regions facing water scarcity. With the need to cool servers to prevent overheating, data centers consume significant amounts of water, especially those using evaporative or chilled water systems. I think collaboration between companies, governments and research institutions will be key to ensuring that data centers continue to grow while conserving vital water resources. The shift toward waterless or water-minimal data centers may ultimately become a defining trend, driven by technological advancements and increasing pressure from stakeholders to reduce environmental impact.”  

Maura Keller is a freelance writer based in Plymouth, Minnesota.