Is There Enough Water to Quench the Thirst of AI Super Data Centers?Is There Enough Water to Quench the Thirst of AI Super Data Centers?
Sets of data center cooling towers, in this file photo. Data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons of water daily—about the same as a town of 20,000 to 50,000 people. Waitforlight/Getty Images
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Is There Enough Water to Quench the Thirst of AI Super Data Centers?

Millions of gallons of water and the chemicals needed for cooling data centers are a growing concern for communities across the United States.
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By Autumn Spredemann
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While artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the way America does business, the number of data centers being built to meet its expanding computational demands has kicked off a construction boom.

Millions of gallons of water are needed for cooling these new data centers, a demand that has risen in lockstep with the expansion of AI support facilities.

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