Artificial intelligence guzzles billions of liters of water

Nov 16, 2023 ·

The recent surge in artificial intelligence (AI) has come at a great environmental cost. An investigation conducted by El Pais reveals that AI technology is consuming billions of liters of water every year. This excessive use of water has been linked to the development of data centers and deep learning algorithms, as well as the production of millions of AI-enabled devices.

Data centers are responsible for a significant portion of this water consumption, as they require cooling systems to prevent overheating. In order to keep these machines operating, water is constantly used for cooling purposes. Furthermore, many of these data centers are located near coastal regions, which further exacerbates the problem as desalination plants must be used in order to provide adequate supplies of freshwater.

Deep learning algorithms also rely heavily on water. In order to train these algorithms, several teraflops of computing power and billions of bits of data are required. This data must be collected from numerous sources, including sensors, cameras, and satellites. Each of these sources requires massive amounts of energy and water in order to operate correctly.

Finally, the production of AI-enabled devices is also having an impact on water levels. These devices are usually made up of multiple components that require different types of cooling. This in turn requires large amounts of water in order to be able to maintain optimal temperatures during production.

In conclusion, it is clear that AI is guzzling billions of liters of water each year. This not only has an effect on the environment, but it is also leading to global shortages of freshwater. Companies need to take responsibility for their actions and strive to develop more sustainable AI technologies that can minimize their water usage.