Tag

Water Use

All articles tagged with #water use

politics12 days ago•39 min saved

Data centers: potential town windfall amid environmental trade-offs

Data centers aren’t inherently good or bad for towns: the costs and benefits depend on local energy sources, grid reliability, and policy choices. Hyperscale campuses can raise air pollution and electricity bills in some places, but can also boost job creation and tax revenue, especially where grids are clean and policy is favorable. Brookings finds modest employment gains and longer‑term IT jobs in counties that host centers, while places like Loudoun County show substantial tax revenue. Water use is relatively small with closed‑loop cooling, and smart siting/regulation can tilt outcomes toward net community gains.

via vox.com|

#air-pollution #data-centers #electricity-prices

environment17 days ago•5 min saved

Backlash Escalates as Utah Approves Giant AI Datacenter and Its Water-Power Toll

Utah’s Box Elder County approved Stratos, a colossal AI datacenter footprint spanning more than 40,000 acres across three sites, requiring about 9GW of power and substantial water use. Critics warn the project would stress drought-stricken water resources and worsen heat and ecological pressures on the Great Salt Lake, while supporters tout job creation and national AI competitiveness. Opponents are pursuing a referendum, and developers plan to refile a water-diversion application, promising a phased development with safeguards as state leaders call for accountability.

via The Guardian|

#ai #datacenter #environment

technology2 months ago•3 min saved

US Data Centers Could Demand Water Equal to NYC's Daily Supply by 2030

A UC Riverside study (not yet peer-reviewed, posted on arXiv) projects peak water demand for U.S. data centers could reach 697 million to 1.45 billion gallons per day by 2030—roughly matching New York City's daily water supply—driven by water-intensive cooling. Building this capacity could cost $10–$58 billion, with much of the financial burden on host communities; the researchers urge requiring peak-demand reporting and forging corporate–community partnerships to fund upgrades, since most operators disclose only annual usage. If water is scarce, data centers may switch to less efficient dry cooling, increasing energy use and stressing grids. The study uses a conservative peak-to-average ratio of 4.5.

via Gizmodo|

#cooling #data-centers #environment

business4 months ago•2 min saved

Microsoft Pledges Greener Data Centers and Lower Electricity Burden on Consumers

Microsoft unveiled a plan to curb water use at U.S. data centers and ensure power costs don’t fall on consumers by paying higher utility rates and working with utilities to expand supply. It will publish per-region water-use data, replenish more water than it uses, train local residents for data-center jobs, and include AI-literacy programs, with Wisconsin rate-structure changes also cited to prevent pass-through of data-center costs to residents.

via Reuters|

#business #data-centers #microsoft

environment5 months ago•3 min saved

AI's 2025 Environmental Impact Mirrors New York City's Carbon Footprint

A report claims that the AI boom in 2025 has resulted in CO2 emissions equivalent to New York City, with AI-related water use surpassing global bottled-water demand, highlighting significant environmental impacts and calling for greater transparency and regulation of tech companies.

via The Guardian|

#ai #climate-impact #co2-emissions

environment6 months ago•4 min saved

AI Data Centers and Their Growing Environmental and Energy Challenges

Cornell researchers have created a detailed roadmap showing that the rapid growth of AI data centers could significantly increase carbon emissions and water consumption by 2030, but strategic siting, grid decarbonization, and operational efficiencies could reduce these impacts by over 70%. The study emphasizes the importance of location, clean energy, and advanced cooling technologies to mitigate environmental effects and achieve sustainability goals.

via Cornell Chronicle|

#ai #carbon-emissions #data-centers

environment7 months ago•7 min saved

Amazon Hid Water Usage Details for Data Centers, Leaked Document Reveals

A leaked internal document reveals Amazon's strategy to hide the full extent of its datacentres' water consumption, choosing to disclose only a smaller, less comprehensive figure to avoid reputational risks, despite criticism from scientists and comparisons with competitors who publish more transparent data. The company aims to be water positive by 2030 but continues to keep its total water footprint confidential, raising concerns about environmental accountability.

via The Guardian|

#amazon #datacentres #environment

environment3 years ago•5 min saved

Scientists Discover Cause of Dramatic Shrinkage in World's Largest Lakes

More than half of the world's largest lakes and reservoirs have lost significant amounts of water over the last three decades, with climate change and excessive water use being the primary culprits, according to a new study. The report found that 53% of the lakes and reservoirs had lost significant amounts of water, with a net decline of around 22 billion metric tons a year. The study highlights the need for proper water management as many parts of the world become hotter and drier.

via CNN|

#climate-change #environment #lakes

environment3 years ago•1 min saved

Spanish authorities crack down on illegal wells during drought crisis.

Spain's Civil Guard has arrested 26 people in Andalusia for illegal water use amid a prolonged drought, with 250 infractions identified by fruit farmers including illegal wells and boreholes in the Axarquia area. The damage to public water infrastructure is estimated at €10m ($10.95m). Spain's central government is urging increasingly strict rules on water use in Andalusia, the world's most important region for olive oil production and a key source of fruits and vegetables for the European export market.

via The Associated Press|

#agriculture #drought #environment