Arizona data centers drive up water demand, but not the way you might think
For all the talk about data centers, they can be pretty unassuming up close. … Generally, researchers say, the amount of water used inside the four walls of these nondescript buildings is lower than most people think. However, they demand massive amounts of electricity, and power plants can use a lot of water while working to meet that demand. Ultimately, though, there is relatively little data on how much water is used to make electricity in Arizona, and analysts say it is hard to get a complete understanding of data centers’ water demands without more transparency from electric utilities. … Data centers use massive amounts of electricity. The amount of electricity it takes to power an average data center is roughly equivalent to the power needed for 400 Costco warehouses, according to an APS official. It takes a lot of water to generate that power, and the need for those generating stations is growing.
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