Arizona data centers drive up water demand, but not the way you might think
AI data centers in the Phoenix area use relatively little water on site, but they use lots of electricity, which takes a lot of water to generate. Arizona data centers, often overlooked in their natural setting, often use less water than most people would perceive. However, they also demand massive amounts of electricity and power plants use a significant amount of water to meet this demand. There is limited data on how much water is used to make electricity in Arizona, and analysts say it is difficult to fully understand data centers' water demands without more transparency from electric utilities. Data centers use different technology to keep servers cool, with some using little to no water for cooling. However these centers often use similar amounts of water as other big users like beverage bottlers and golf courses. Most cities will not allow data centers into their water system if they think it could cause taps to dry.
Published : 10 hours ago by Alex Hager in Tech Environment
For all the talk about data centers, they can be pretty unassuming up close.
Especially in Phoenix — a city full of office parks and industrial warehouses — it can be easy to drive by an unlabeled, w... [10970 symbols]
