Hi all, On 2025-12-02 16:18, Jeff Kopmanis wrote:
Water is used in cooling the servers. That it will impact local water usage is bunk, because these are closed-loop, filtered systems, not drawing river water.
As is almost always the case, it’s not that simple, as is revealed by a reasonable bit of research using reputable sources.
Not all data centres are closed-loop; over time there is loss (often significant, depending on the design) through both evaporation and the full-system flushing triggered by buildup; water is also often used (and lost) in order to cool the plants that generate the electricity required by AI; etc.
Saying “that it will impact local water usage is bunk” is disingenuous and ultimately false.
Cheers, Kieren.
