The amount of water used by data centers is a growing concern as droughts tighten their grip on many communities. Efforts to cool servers are pushing researchers and engineers to explore a range of cooling methods, from submerged equipment to cooling fluids, including mineral oils, to keep systems reliable while balancing environmental impact.
Global digital water use remains hard to pin down with exact figures, but experts estimate a substantial share linked to hyperscale facilities. There are roughly 700 hyperscale data centers worldwide, with traditional facilities adding to the total. The annual water footprint is measured in hundreds of billions of liters, equivalent to the water use of major cities such as New York. This scale underlines the importance of water stewardship in the tech sector.
In response, companies are racing to innovate cooling solutions that reduce the freshwater draw of the internet. The push overlaps with efforts to shrink the overall energy footprint and limit environmental impact when renewable energy is not employed. The goal is to decouple data growth from escalating resource use while maintaining performance and reliability.
This perspective comes from leading architectural minds who study the built environments that house digital infrastructure. A noted architect, educated at major European and American institutions and active in research on sustainable design, emphasizes the need for stable operating temperatures to prevent hardware failure from overheating. The discussion highlights how design choices influence long-term system life and energy needs.
Alternatively submerge them in the ocean
Current focus includes water recycling, gray-water reuse, and even offshore data centers placed in marine environments. The concept explores how oceanic cooling can remove heat while avoiding freshwater consumption. Real-world tests in some markets show promise, while others plan large-scale deployments in coastal zones.
There are concerns about ecological effects, including potential localized temperature changes and impacts on marine life. Industry observers stress the importance of rigorous environmental assessment and monitoring as these projects scale.
Some data center designs employ immersion cooling with mineral oils or other liquids to maintain stable temperatures. Advocates claim the approach can extend hardware life and reduce energy use, though it remains a topic of ongoing research and debate about long-term viability and safety considerations.
A prominent figure in the field travels globally to study diverse infrastructure models and identify sustainability pathways. The aim is to understand how different regions manage cooling, water, and energy demands while supporting digital growth. The overarching message is clear: data centers require careful temperature management to avoid performance degradation and equipment stress.
Beyond traditional cooling, researchers are exploring emerging storage concepts such as synthetic DNA for data retention, which would minimize water usage and energy needs. Some developers speculate about future space-based data centers, harnessing near-ideal cooling conditions in space and powering operations with solar energy. These ideas illuminate the wide spectrum of possibilities under consideration.
Establishing centers underwater or immersed in mineral oils remains among the alternatives under study.
Data centers draw water from surrounding networks for cooling and require substantial energy, akin to large-scale consumer cooling systems but on a far bigger scale.
The public is encouraged to recognize that digital information does not exist in a vacuum; data requires power and cooling, which carry environmental footprints. Reducing unnecessary consumption and increasing efficiency can meaningfully cut emissions and resource use across the lifecycle of digital services.
In drought-prone regions, water availability becomes a strategic concern as data facilities compete with local communities for resources. The dynamic is shaped by regional climate, water rights, and energy choices, all of which influence planning and policy decisions for new builds.
New mega data center in Spain despite drought
The discourse often references large technology deployments in water-scarce areas. The industry is called to balance rapid capacity expansion with responsible water management, ensuring shares of local resources are preserved for households and essential services. Public response can include scrutiny and, in some cases, protests when water use is perceived as disproportionate to benefits.
Instances from various cities show how community concerns can shape project timelines, prompting developers to refine cooling strategies before proceeding with large-scale installations.
Regional contrasts exist: cooler northern climates naturally facilitate thermal management, while warmer regions demand more aggressive cooling approaches. In Scandinavian cities, excess heat from data centers is sometimes captured and repurposed to heat urban spaces or greenhouses, illustrating a circular approach to energy and heat use.
Ongoing work in sustainable cooling includes strategic site selection, water-use awareness, and the exploration of alternatives that can reduce both water and energy demands while keeping data operations reliable and scalable.