Consequence of the AI boom: Study warns of water stress due to new mega data centers
The water requirements of German data centers could more than double by 2030. A study by the Öko-Institut is bringing alternatives to high water consumption into the discussion.
A study by the Öko-Institut for Greenpeace warns that the expansion of data centers in Germany could severely strain regional water supplies. By 2030, new mega data centers could increase water usage for cooling to up to 27 billion liters per year, equivalent to the drinking water consumption of a large city with around 580,000 inhabitants.
This contradicts the digital industry's claim that water usage is not a problem, with the Bitkom association stating that most data centers use very little water. The study also finds that data centers can be built without water cooling, and Greenpeace is calling for greater transparency and regulations to mitigate the impact on water supplies.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
