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More people should scrutinize the methodology behind these AI data center water usage reports. One widely cited Berkeley Lab figure includes the water evaporat
by MrBuddyCasino 9mo ago
More people should scrutinize the methodology behind these AI data center water usage reports.
One widely cited Berkeley Lab figure includes the water evaporated from reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams.
Excluding that factor cuts their water usage estimate by more than half.
On AI & water, looks like all US data center usage (not just AI) ranges from 628M gallons a day (counting evaporation from dam reservoirs used for hydro-power) to 200-275M with power but not dam evaporation, to 50M for cooling alone. [0]
So not nothing, but also a lot less than golf.
[0] https://www.construction-physics.com/p/i-was-wrong-about-data-center-water?hide_intro_popup=true https://www.construction-physics.com/p/i-was-wrong-about-dat...
- ericyd 9mo agoIt's possible to be both anti-golf, and anti-water-waste-in-tech.
- MrBuddyCasino 9mo ago[flagged]
- slumberlust 9mo agoBack to Reddit you go.
- MrBuddyCasino 9mo agoAh yes Reddit, where all the conservatives hang out. Even your insults are stolen from the Right because the left has zero original ideas themselves.
- jeffbee 9mo agoEven this article mentions how ridiculous this article is. Google's gigantic data center uses a third of the water in the Dalles, a miniscule community of only 17000 people. So they are using the water of 5000 homes, i.e. nothing.