Though water is not used by all data centers, it is a critical component for some data center cooling systems and overuse of it can potentially affect area water supplies. Large data centers using evaporative cooling can consume up to hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day and could potentially exceed utilities’ ability to supply water, putting pressure on infrastructure and threatening availability of water to residents and other companies. For states under drought conditions in the western and midwestern parts of the country, water supply usage is an even larger concern.
Jeff Clark, the editor for the Data Center Journal, suggests several measures that can be taken in order to preserve water, including considering alternative water sources, increasing energy efficiency in order to produce less heat and monitoring water efficiency. Clark also suggests using alternative cooling systems, such as air cooling, in combination with water-based liquid cooling systems.
