Microsoft to launch zero water consumption cooling for future data centers

Water-based cooling is not the only cooling option for data centers, however. Many also use air cooling systems. While evaporative cooling consumes less energy, but significantly more water, air cooling consumes no water, but significantly more energy.

One factor companies can consider when placing data centers is to “pick a cooling technology that is symbiotic to the local environmental conditions,” according to a blog post by Andrew Higgins, global head of masterplanning and sustainability at data center and collocation provider Equinix.

“For instance, [operators] might use air cooling in water-stressed areas to limit water consumption, and use evaporative cooling in other areas to capitalize on the energy-efficiency benefits, particularly where the carbon intensity of the power grids is high,” he wrote.

Data center operators who use water for cooling are increasingly looking for ways to optimize efficiency, not just because of how valuable the natural resource is, “but increasingly because of more stringent regulatory targets and reporting requirements,” Higgins added.

Applying the closed loop to the data center

A closed-loop system that recycles water used for cooling is not a new concept. In fact, it has existed in manufacturing for years, Titus M, practice director for Everest Group, said.

Now it’s becoming an increasingly attractive option for data centers that use water for cooling because of the major challenge operators face to lower their carbon footprint and overall resource consumption, even as energy requirements increase due to technologies such as AI, he said.