How some data center operators are tackling their water use problems

Source: Ars Technica

Background

Some tech giants, including Microsoft, OpenAI, and Oracle, have recently indicated that they are moving away from evaporative cooling entirely to save water. This shift includes OpenAI and Oracle’s massive Stargate expansion in several states, among them a water‑stressed region of Texas.

Google’s water‑related commitments

Google announced a series of commitments to the communities where it operates data centers, accompanied by funding for water‑related projects in the United States. The pledges include:

• Replenishing more freshwater than the company consumes through investments in local water projects.
• Scaling up the use of reclaimed and recycled water.
• Disclosing annual water use in data centers.
• Applying a data‑driven framework to decide which data‑center designs best align with local watersheds.

Other tech companies, such as Microsoft, have made similar promises around water replenishment and local investment. Google has been working on most of these pledges for several years.

Hydrologic assessments and design approach

Ben Townsend, Google’s global head of infrastructure and sustainability, explains that data‑center design is far more complex than simply abandoning one cooling method across the board. For the past four years, Google has conducted detailed hydrologic assessments of its sites to determine the most appropriate cooling solutions.

“Water is scarce in some regions and plentiful in others,” Townsend says. “A one‑size‑fits‑all strategy just doesn’t work.”

Regulatory stance and research

In April, Google defended evaporative cooling for areas with “abundant” water in a filing to the European Union, arguing that it is necessary for developing truly sustainable data centers. The filing can be viewed here.

Google’s position aligns with recent research by Ren and his team, which found that if all U.S. data centers adopted some form of evaporative cooling during peak demand, it could free up an additional 10 to 30 GW of power. In regions where the electric grid is stressed but water resources are ample, evaporative cooling could provide meaningful headroom for utilities trying to balance load.