Mega Data Centers Could Drain Water Supplies in Great Lakes Region if ...

Mega Data Centers Could Drain Water Supplies in Great Lakes Region if Protections Aren’t Put in Place: Report – WTTW (Chicago)

A single hyperscale center of the sort operated by tech giants such as Meta or Microsoft — 10,000 square feet or more, with 5,000-plus servers — can consume 1 million to 5 million gallons of water each day. That’s as 12,000 Americans’ annual use put together. Not a single Great Lakes state currently has water management mechanisms in place to curb over-extraction, or what could be termed “de-watering,” before it happens.

Mega Data Centers Could Drain Water Supplies in Great Lakes Region if ...

Will massive water needs of data centers, farms, mines be too much for the Great Lakes?

Tax incentives from many of the eight Great Lakes states have lured industries that need water. But the region is ill-prepared for the coming needs.

AI Data Centers Drain Billions of Gallons

Key takeaways AI data centers need huge amounts of water to stay cool In 2023 US centers used 17 billion gallons of water directly By 2028 direct water use could more than double or even quadruple Tech companies report their water use in different and often vague ways Without clear data, communities and regulators lack the facts they need Why Data Centers Need So Much Water Data centers power the apps and services people use every day. They run…

AI’s latest feat: Depleting drinking water sources around Illinois, Midwest – Usa news

The rapid growth of data centers is raising a new concern: Depletion of drinking water supplies across the Midwest. Large data centers, many devoted to researching artificial intelligence, are expected to use more than 150 billion gallons of water across the U.S. over the next five years, according to the advocacy organization Alliance for the Great Lakes. That’s enough water to supply 4.6 million homes. The data centers, which also use large am…

Will massive water needs of data centers, farms, mines be too much for the Great Lakes? - Great Lakes Commission

The Great Lakes’ water supply is threatened by increased demand from industries like data centers and mining, coupled with climate change impacts. Data centers, attracted by tax incentives, consume vast […]