Can someone explain why the data center use the water then expulse it as vapor instead of like recycling/ expulsing it as water? I get it that data center (hot) + water (cold) = vapor/steam but there could be a post processing to turn the steam to normal water but maybe that need regulation for that and it is a cost. Is that the only reason? Cost?
Where would they dump the heat that the condensing water releases? If they had a good end point for the heat, they wouldn’t have to use the atmosphere for it in the first place.
Central heating for industries and homes requiring heat or warm water.
My father in law lives in Provence, he doesn’t need heat more than three months a year. I wonder jf you could use it to drive electricity turbines instead? You won’t get all the energy you put into the chips back, but would it be enough for it to be worthwhile?
Air. It’s what a radiator does.
Water has a heat capacity that is 4 times more than air by weight. Water is far more dense at nearly a cubic meter per kg. Roughly 3500-4000 times more air by mass is required to perform the same cooling as evaporated water
River? Sea? They could release hot water with udon? 😝
Every few days an article erupts about how data centers in Europe are drying up the continent. I don’t question this, but as the US and China are said to lead the way in AI and data center infrastructure, how is the situation there? Is there a global comparison?
I only know of a study regarding China (which is known to have severe water problem) from 2024. It says, among others:
Already, before the explosion of AI & chatbots, national exposure across various types of water risks are high:
- 46% of China’s national data centre racks are located in the Dry 10, which are as dry as the Middle East.
- At least 41% of China’s national data centre racks are located in regions that are highly prone to drought while at least 28% are in areas that are highly prone to floods; at least a fifth are very prone to both.
- 56% of China’s data centre racks are located in coastal regions vulnerable to storm surge & sea level rise.
- Water risks can also disrupt power generation and data centres will face double whammy risks especially in hydropower reliant provinces
Here is the source (open pdf)
But this is only China. Maybe someone knows where to get comparable data from around the globe.
There are lots of stories of data centers in the US doing exactly the same. They have been posted here on lemmy as well. And more are planned which will do more of the same there.
Yes, I know. But what I mean is a global study comparing the situation across all different continents.
The american solution is to turn a blind eye.
Environmental concerns are considered communism in the USA. In China, criticism is suppressed. Hence only Europeans voice the problem.
Why have they built them in the warm south and not the colder north?
Cheaper energy maybe?
But yes this would make way more sense in combo with long distance heat
