Many data centers use a lot of water for cooling, especially those that rely on evaporative cooling systems. In areas facing drought or regions where water is expected to become scarce, such as the Southwest or the Southern Plains, this high usage is now drawing criticism — potentially creating a bad reputation for the data center industry regarding its environmental impact.
While this perception exists, the good news is that it’s now becoming a misperception. Data center operators have long been dedicated to improving all aspects of their energy and resource consumption, prioritizing the responsible management of their limited resources and working toward net zero carbon emissions goals to have negative impact on the environment.
New cooling innovations are aiding in that journey, enabling data centers to significantly reduce their use of water, even as the entire industry continues to grow to meet explosive demand driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
Today, the demand for AI-driven workloads, High-Performance Computing, and graphics-intensive applications is quickly leading to more computing power and the need for more data centers capable of providing it. In turn, this increase in demand has created a greater need for innovative liquid cooling solutions that are less reliant on water yet much more effective than standard air conditioning systems.
Fortunately, today’s liquid cooling technologies are making it easier to deliver cooling much closer to CPUs, GPUs, and memory chips, and as a result, make the cooling process much more efficient and effective.
● Liquid to the rack: This approach uses a liquid coolant that is delivered directly to server racks within a data center, which allows for more efficient heat absorption than traditional air-based cooling. In this example, the chilled liquid goes directly to the back of the cabinets to cool air as it comes out of each rack – instead of having to travel all the way to a computer room air handler for cooling. Liquid-to-rack cooling is especially beneficial in higher-density server environments where it can offer better temperature control and improved energy efficiency.
● Direct-to-chip cooling: This is a highly efficient cooling method where a liquid coolant is delivered straight to the chips or processors inside a server so it can absorb heat directly at the source. This approach is a good option in High-Performance Computing environments because it efficiently handles the intense heat generated by modern processors.
● Immersion cooling: This involves submerging entire servers or components in a non-conductive dielectric liquid – not water – that efficiently absorbs and dissipates heat. Immersion cooling also eliminates the need for traditional air cooling and offers superior thermal management, which helps to significantly reduce energy consumption. Immersion cooling is also a good option for High-Density Computing environments, enabling quiet operations and extending hardware lifespans due to more consistent cooling.
Each of these cooling methods can use a closed-loop system to reduce water consumption and operational costs. For example, once a loop has been filled, the liquid only needs to be replaced if there’s a leak or during maintenance cycles.
As AI increases demand for compute power, data centers will need to keep up with more efficient, effective cooling options. In the past, data centers may have relied on too much water for evaporative cooling systems; yet, they now have the opportunity to embrace new cooling technologies to reduce their water consumption and have a more positive impact on the environment.
Jenny Gerson is Head of Sustainability at DataBank, where she is responsible for creating and implementing the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy.
