Scientists told how the world’s data centers fell into a water trap

A study led by the Carnegie Institute of Science found that about one in four data centers in the world is located where at least one month a year the demand for water exceeds its reserves. The study was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

The results were reported by the American Chemical Society, which publishes the journal. The authors mapped 9,347 existing data centers and compared them with local water resources and consumption by cities, agriculture, industry and power plants.

At least one month a year, 2,315 sites experience a water shortage, which is about 25% of all facilities. Another 523 data centers, or about 6%, are located in areas where water is scarce for at least 9 months a year. Most of these facilities are concentrated in the United States, this country accounts for 39% of all data centers in the world.

The researchers also identified with whom data centers share water. For 41% of objects, the main competitors were cities and utilities, for 28% - agriculture. Lead author Lorenzo Rosa, an environmental scientist at the Carnegie Institute for Science, noted that these objects do not appear on empty ground. They stand directly on the water sources used by cities and farms.

Data centers need water to cool their servers. Much of it evaporates, so only fresh water is suitable. A large object per day can consume as much water as a city with a population of 50 thousand people. Electricity can be transmitted over long distances, and water is usually taken on site. Therefore, a lot depends on where the data center will be built.

The situation may get worse over time. Scientists tested several climate models for a scenario in which the average temperature on the planet is 3 ° C above the level of 1900. According to the authors, such warming is possible in 10-40 years. The share of data centers in water-scarce areas will rise to 33 percent. It follows from the work that when choosing a site for a new data center, it is important to take into account not only access to electricity, but also local water reserves.

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