In the wake of widespread backlash over AI data center construction across the US, Google is actually promoting its efforts to reduce environmental impact by increasing water for local communities.
The company made five commitments regarding water use. blog post Published on Wednesday, that includes a target to replenish more water than it uses at its data centers by 2030. Google also said it would invest in local water infrastructure, identify alternative water sources to power its facilities, and be transparent about its water use overall.
“We’re just one of dozens of players in this space,” said Ben Townsend, Google’s global head of infrastructure and sustainability. The Verge in an interview. “We think it’s really important to create a blueprint there that communities can refer to, so if someone else comes in and says, ‘We want to build a data center there,’ then a community can say, ‘Okay, here are five different things that really put the community and the watershed first. Are you doing these? Are you doing one of them? All of them? None of them? And if not, why?'”
The commitments come amid growing opposition to the rapid data center construction that could help meet AI’s massive energy needs. Google’s parent company Alphabet recently said it wants to do so Raise $80 billion from stock sale For the technology to finance its construction. a fresh gallup poll It was found that more than 70 percent of Americans oppose the idea of building a data center in their area. Half of the respondents cited the impact of data centers on environmental resources as the motivator behind their opposition, with 18 percent citing excess water use as an issue.
A recent Gallup poll found that more than 70 percent of Americans oppose the idea of data centers being built in their area.
AI data centers require vast amounts of water to cool, with a recent study finding that the technology uses as much water annually as people worldwide drink from water bottles. Google’s prior estimates about its own water use for AI have been misleading, according to some researchers, who say they omit indirect water use. Broader resource concerns have driven a wave of commitments across the industry to limit water use and prevent data centers from driving up consumer energy prices.
But Google’s Townsend defended the company’s record so far. “To the best of our ability, we are accounting for the offsite water footprint,” Townsend said, “and I think we have made significant progress in reducing or eliminating the water footprint of that supply chain through our waterless renewable energy investments.”
In a blog post, Vikas Kole, Google’s vice president of global infrastructure, says water use at data centers can reduce overall energy usage. “In many locations, water cooling can reduce data center energy use by about 10% compared to air cooling,” Cooley writes. “The total water consumption of data centers is low – US data centers use less than 1% of the water that Americans use annually on their lawns – but we are focused on protecting local water resources in all aspects of our data center operations.”
Koli says Google will be able to offset more water than it consumes in the next four years investment in projects So that things like irrigation and infrastructure improve. It promises to continue reporting its annual water use and seek alternative sources such as reclaimed wastewater, as it has in a georgia county. The company also announced $17 million to support new water management projects in seven states.
Townsend said those who are worried that data centers will suck up all their water are legitimate, though he says they may use less water than people think. Townsend said, “It would be a real disservice to the region to say that there are only misconceptions. That’s not true.” But, he said, the data center sector doesn’t use as much water as people might think, and now is the time to invest to ensure “that water use in the data center doesn’t become a problem.”
