A prolonged drought gripping much of South America has compelled tech giants like Google and Amazon to rethink their plans for water-intensive data centers.
Data centers, housing vast arrays of servers, are emerging globally to accommodate the exponential growth of data generated by billions of connected devices. While their significant energy consumption has garnered global attention, the substantial amounts of water used in their cooling systems have been less scrutinized—until now.
Cooling Systems Under Scrutiny
Cooling equipment accounts for about 40 percent of a data center’s infrastructure. “There are billions of transistors in high-frequency processors, generating a lot of heat,” explained Eduardo Vera, coordinator of the Center for Mathematical Modeling at the University of Chile.
Google’s plans for new data centers in Chile and Uruguay have brought the issue of water consumption into the spotlight. Initially, Google’s proposed $200 million data center in Cerrillos, a suburb of Santiago, Chile, was slated to use a staggering seven billion liters (1.85 billion gallons) of water per year—equivalent to the annual consumption of the suburb’s 80,000 residents.
Environmental Pushback Leads to Change
However, Chile’s more-than-decade-long drought dampened enthusiasm for the project. In January, an environmental court ordered Google to revise its application to reduce water usage. In response, the company unveiled a revised plan employing air cooling technology, significantly minimizing water consumption.
“They fought us, but finally they changed the cooling system, and we set a precedent,” said Tania Rodriguez from the Community Socio-Environmental Movement for Water and Territory.
Similar Shifts in Uruguay
Environmentalists in Uruguay achieved a similar victory. Google’s initial plan for an $850 million data center near Montevideo predicted a consumption of 2.7 billion liters of water annually. Following a record drought that threatened the country’s drinking water supply, Google opted for the more expensive but water-conserving air cooling technology.
The company stated it is adopting “a climate-conscious approach” to minimize environmental impact and use natural resources responsibly.
The Future of Data Centers
Chile aims to attract billions in investments for its data center industry, highlighting its stability and robust internet connectivity. President Gabriel Boric announced plans in June to more than double the number of data centers in the country from 22 to 50. Science and Technology Minister Aisen Etcheverry assured that their water consumption would be “practically zero.”
Amazon Web Services, planning to open two data centers in Santiago, aims to make all its centers “water-positive” by 2030, conserving or returning more water than they use.
Despite these advances, existing centers like Google’s facility in Quilicura, northern Santiago—which uses about one billion liters of water per year—will continue to rely on traditional water-based cooling systems. “Because data centers operate 24/7, it’s very difficult for them to change their cooling system once they are already built,” noted environmental activist Rodrigo Vallejos.
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Tech giants rethink data centers in drought-stricken Latin America
cgtn.com
