IT Brew’s Post

We mainly talk about the emissions of data centres and trying to reduce the impact but, just as critical (if not more), is the vast amounts of water used to keep the things cool. Half the world's population is already experiencing water scarcity at least one month per year(https://lnkd.in/eCjWc6jR). The rate at which the demand for compute is growing means this is putting addition pressure on this critical resource. We need to aim to reduce our compute to reduce this load whilst innovative cooling solutions are created to lessen the amount of water needed (for example https://lnkd.in/eDwxzi33).

Happy Earth Day 💚 Data centers pose a significant challenge to sustainability and climate protection, and whilst developments in the renewable energy sector, tech efficiency and AI are helping to combat this, the future of the sector must be green, and there is a long way to go still. Many proposed solutions are just a way to limit the damage. https://lnkd.in/emYWHYQg

SUSTAINABILITY. The environmental stressors caused by our Digital Innovations . WATER. “However, our reliance on water to cool the contraptions that propel the digital era is creating new problems -- especially in arid regions acutely afflicted by water scarcity.” The case for #sustainableinnovation #environment #innovation #climatecrisis #water #datacenters #sustainability #technologyforgood

In a couple of years, data centers worldwide will absorb 250 billion gallons of fresh, potable water annually. Currently, a calculation places this consumption at 200 billion gallons. Water consumption by these infrastructures is not decreasing; it is steadily rising. This is the main conclusion of a rigorous study by Bluefield Research: data center water consumption is “out of control”. What's worse, trade secrets are being widely used to conceal it. In the United States, the average data center uses 300,000 gallons of water per day to cool the heat generated by IT equipment. This is equivalent to the water used by 100,000 homes. NPR, the American public radio broadcaster, has highlighted this research, echoing its findings. NPR delves also into the case of Virginia, home to one of the world's largest concentrations of data centers. Large warehouses "full of computers and networking gear, owned by tech giants like #Amazon, #Google, #Microsoft, #Meta, reportedly consumed 7 billion liters of water in 2023", according to a separate report by the Financial Times. Not long ago, residents of The Dalles, Oregon, were shocked to learn that a Google-owned data center used one-third of the city’s water supply in 2021—around 355 million gallons. This case mirrors similar situations in #Uruguay; #Chile; #Brazil; #Panama; #Mexico; #UnitedKingdom, #India, #Ireland, and #Spain. Different countries face the growing challenge of massive fresh water consumption by a new generation of data centers. The technologies that define #Web3 today are characterized by unprecedented power, which depends on billions of gallons of water daily. The same holds true for the global expansion of the semiconductor industry. This concern was recently highlighted in the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, #DER2024: "Unlike the global impact of GHG emissions, which can be offset in various locations, negative impacts on water supply are highly location-specific. Saving water in one area cannot compensate for the local impact in another [...] the water footprint relates to freshwater scarcity, increasingly a consequence of climate change, and possible impacts on biodiversity." Rightly so, these physical infrastructures that make the digital dimension possible can be defined as “water vampires.” It is a powerful definition, adding that "the more virtual we become, the more water we need." The digital industry is a water-intensive one. The amount of water it consumes, all its parts,  is comparable to that used by the textile or chemical industries. This is a topic I explore further in an article by Gerry McGovern, recently published on the EcoAméricas platform (link to find in the first comment).   #Digitalethics #WaterCrisis #DataCenters #Sustainability #ClimateChange #TechResponsibility #AIImpact #WaterConservation #DigitalTransformation #SustainableTech #FutureOfTech

🔄 The silent contributor to greenhouse gas emissions: data storage. It's time for change! Learn more about why data sanitization is a crucial part of the solution to reduce enterprise carbon footprints. 🌱 Dive into our latest blog for insights on sustainable data erasure. https://lnkd.in/gEHkd3Kt

Virginia's datacenters have significantly increased their water consumption, with usage rising nearly 65% since 2019, primarily due to cooling needs. This surge has raised environmental concerns, especially in water-stressed regions. AI's growing demand for computational power could exacerbate the situation, despite efforts by companies like AWS to become water positive by 2030. The debate continues, with some experts arguing that recycled water is widely used in these facilities, while others worry about the broader environmental impact. https://lnkd.in/euT7-Gqd

📣 Let's work together to make a positive impact on the planet.🍃 As the demand for digital services continues to skyrocket, data centers are becoming more ubiquitous. However, the environmental impact on the planet's water resources cannot be ignored. That's where the Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) metric comes in. WUE is more than just a tool for measuring water use; it's a compass guiding the industry towards sustainable practices that balance technological advancement with ecological responsibility. By embracing WUE, data center operators can mitigate their environmental impact, conserve precious water resources, and move towards a more sustainable and efficient future. #ClimateLeader #WUE #dcim #datacenter #datacentersustainability #sustainability #datcentre

This whitepaper explores critical sustainability measures of data centers as outlined by various regulatory bodies, seeking to empower readers with a comprehensive understanding of data center sustainability in the light of these international directives. It delves into metrics like Average Delta T, Cooling Efficiency, Energy Consumption, Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Total CO2, Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE), Server Utilization, and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE). https://lnkd.in/ewjP5Jyy #sustainabledatacenters #datacentercompliance #sustainability #compliancereporting #datacentermangament

Groundwater scarcity is reshaping data center strategies, urging a rethink on location and water use efficiency. As the tech sector grapples with environmental management, adapting to diminishing resources becomes crucial for sustainability. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3xcnGdV 

Just published research has found that humans have pushed the Earth's freshwater system far beyond the stable conditions that prevailed before industrialization. Global land area experiencing deviations has nearly doubled compared with pre-industrial conditions. https://lnkd.in/ebU2jVMu   Massive shifts of water have caused Earth’s poles to wander. Humans have pumped so much groundwater in the last 50 years, we’ve altered Earth’s tilt. “It is, in a way, mind boggling,” researchers stated. https://lnkd.in/efGSKEQt   “Some hyperscalers – I’m not going to name them – built large datacenters in Arizona, New Mexico, and very dry countries,” Nicolas Dubé, from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, stated in 2023. “You build datacenters there, and if you use evaporative cooling, you’re going to have spectacular PUE (Power Use Efficiency). However, you’re going to consume a resource that’s way more important to that community than optimizing for a few percent of the energy consumption,” “I think that’s criminal. I think they should be jailed for doing that.” https://lnkd.in/eArHAQgy   "The reason there's not a lot of transparency, simply put, I think most companies don't have a good story here," says Kyle Myers. Data centers have a choice. They can either consume less water and use more electricity. Or they can use less energy and consume more water. "Water is super cheap," Myers says. "And so people make the financial decision that it makes sense to consume water." https://lnkd.in/eXpD73As   “Water consumption in data centers is super embarrassing,” a data center designer stated as far back as 2009. “It just doesn’t feel responsible.” https://lnkd.in/ggGNfi7U   Even today, many data centers don’t track water usage properly. Data center managers are on record as stating that “there is no business justification for collecting water usage data.” https://lnkd.in/gFPFFAue   Google's data center water consumption in 2022 increased by 20% compared to 2021, and Microsoft's water consumption increased by 34% over the same period. Google is still trying to claim its water usage figures are a “trade secret.” https://lnkd.in/eDFbswBd