en.Wedoany.com Reported - Nvidia has announced a warm water cooling system for AI data centers, claiming it can significantly reduce water consumption and even "eliminate almost all water use within the facility." Josh Parker, the company's Chief Sustainability Officer, told Axios, "The data center water problem is basically solved."

This claim only pertains to water use within the data center's perimeter. Nvidia's approach in the cooling system involves circulating coolant in a closed loop, injecting it once and reusing it throughout the facility's entire lifecycle, without adding new water for chip cooling. Under suitable climate conditions, on-site water use can be reduced by 100%.

The coolant is pumped into the racks at 45°C (113°F), flows through the servers, and exits at 55°C (131°F), carrying away significant heat. At this temperature, external air in most climates can achieve evaporation-free cooling through passive radiators, eliminating the need for fans and chillers in some cases, making data centers more efficient and quieter.

Water use outside the data center, particularly in power generation and chip manufacturing, can double or even multiply the total water footprint several times over. Nvidia's solution covers only about one-quarter to one-third of the total water consumption of AI data centers. Data centers cannot operate without a power supply, and many types of power plants are major water users. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, fossil fuel power plants consume 2.7 billion gallons of water per day, most of which is used for evaporative cooling. Natural gas power plants consume 1.17 liters of water per kilowatt-hour, while coal-fired power plants consume 2.2 liters per kilowatt-hour.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), fossil fuel power plants currently provide about half of the electricity for data centers. Hydropower dams provide about 10% of data center electricity, with reservoir evaporation resulting in a loss of 6.8 liters of water per kilowatt-hour. Geothermal energy's water consumption varies by technology, with some advanced geothermal startups like Fervo promising to primarily use "low-quality water." Wind and solar power use minimal water, at approximately 0.01 liters and 0.03 liters per kilowatt-hour, respectively. However, according to IEA forecasts, natural gas and coal are expected to provide over 40% of the new electricity demand for data centers by 2030, meaning data centers will still consume significant water resources regardless of Nvidia's measures within the facility.

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