Data centers are notoriously thirsty. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found that, in 2023, the facilities consumed roughly 17 billion gallons of water for their operations in the U.S. alone. But that’s only a small part of the picture: A much, much larger share of data center water-intensity is indirect, a byproduct of the facilities’ enormous appetites for energy. … However, new research from Cornell University shows that there’s a way to mitigate both the climate and water footprints of these facilities: Build them in places with lots of wind and solar energy.

Other data center water use news:

• High Country News (Paonia, Colo.): The big data center buildup
• Data Center Dynamics: Blog: Power, water, and community — key pieces in the data center jigsaw of sustainability