HOW MUCH WATER DO AI DATA CENTER AND REALLY USE..?

When you think about artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, what comes to mind..? 

The biggest challenge for human mind is human mind

(By Deshapriya Nanayakkara)

Even a smaller data centre can sweat up to 18,000 gallons of water per day, while “hyperscale” data centres such as Google's burn through up to 550,000 gallons per day. Globally, ChatGPT uses around 39.16 million gallons daily, (https://www.businessenergyuk.com)

How much water does AI use per day..? 

About 2 million liters. More AI means more water. In the US, an average 100-megawatt data center, which uses more power than 75,000 homes combined, also consumes about 2 million liters of water per day, according to an April report on energy and AI from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“AI is one of the biggest stories in the energy world today – but until now, policy makers and markets lacked the tools to fully understand the wide-ranging impacts,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.  “Global electricity demand from data centres is set to more than double over the next five years, consuming as much electricity by 2030 as the whole of Japan does today. 

(IEA – International Energy Agency-https://www.iea.org)

The effects will be particularly strong in some countries. For example, in the United States, data centres are on course to account for almost half of the growth in electricity demand; in Japan, more than half; and in Malaysia, as much as one-fifth.”

How AI Consumes Resources

To understand the claim, we first need to grasp how AI systems like ChatGPT work. AI models require massive computing power, especially during training and operation. Here’s a breakdown of where water usage comes into play:

Data Centers


AI tools like ChatGPT run on servers housed in data centers. These data centers require electricity for computation and cooling. Keeping servers cool is essential because overheating can damage equipment and degrade performance. Water comes into the picture because many data centers use water-based cooling systems. Water absorbs heat efficiently, making it a practical choice for cooling.

Training AI Models
Before an AI like ChatGPT can interact with you, it undergoes an intensive training...Energy and Cooling Nexus
Beyond water, data centers consume a lot of electricity. Even when renewable energy is used, cooling systems often require water, whether for evaporative cooling towers or other methods.

There are still 750 million people without access to electricity (mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa) and two billion without clean cooking. The IEA’s net zero scenario is the only pathway out of the three that it models that provides universal access to modern energy by 2030. The other fossil fuel dependent pathways fail to achieve this.)

What is liquid cooling in data center..?

Liquid cooling for data centres is a solution that introduces a liquid, typically water, to cool the electronic components of servers and other computing equipment. Because of much better heat dissipation, it is a superior method for air cooling. Liquid cooling is possible through direct-to-chip liquid cooling.

How AI Consumes Resources

Data Centers-AI tools run on servers housed in data centers, which require electricity for computation and cooling. Water-based cooling systems are commonly used to absorb heat efficiently.   Training AI Models-Intensive training processes require significant computational power, contributing to energy consumption. Cooling Systems-Even with renewable energy, cooling systems often require water, whether for evaporative cooling towers or other methods.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) mimics specific cognitive abilities but lacks the depth of the human mind. Human intelligence encompasses cognitive abilities, emotions, creativity, and adaptability. About 71 percent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth's water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers, and even in you and your...

3% of the earth's water is fresh. 2.5% of the earth's fresh water is unavailable: locked up in glaciers, polar ice caps, atmosphere, and soil; highly polluted; or lies too far under the earth's surface to be extracted at an affordable cost. 0.5% of the earth's water is available fresh water.

AQUASTAT is the FAO global information system on water resources and agricultural water management. It collects, analyses and provides free access to over 180 variables and indicators by country from 1960.

(John McCarthy is one of the "founding fathers" of artificial intelligence, together with Alan Turing (Theory of computation), Marvin Minsky, Allen Newell, and Herbert Alexander Simon. McCarthy, Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester and Claude E. Shannon.
(Information theory)

-The biggest challenge for human mind is human mind-