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[–] 35 points 1 year ago (8 children)

I don't understand why AI data centers would CONSUME water. Once they fill up their chiller loops, then... that's it, right?

It's hard for me to imagine them relying on the temperature of the incoming water, and dumping all the warm water as discharge.

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  • [–] 31 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    They're probably using cooling towers, which cool through evaporation. They should be using reclaimed though.

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  • [–] 24 points 1 year ago

    As long as it is cheaper to buy water, then evaporate it, big firms will continue to do so.

    With a COP of around 15 and up it is difficult to argue with the economy of this.

    Local regulation would be required, but that would need politicians who don't suck.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    This is the right answer. They use evaporative cooling. Which does save a lot of power so they can claim to be "green".

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  • [–] 22 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I worked 10 years at a data center, all that water is recycled - it is very carefully chemically balanced so as to not corrode the pipes and pumps, no they do not use it once and dump it out.

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