My understanding is that a data center can be open loop or closed loop. Closed loop is like a water cooling pc with a radiator and you have to cool the water down to ambient temps. Open loop (or semi open loop) is more common which involves dumping hot water into the local sewer system or local waterways.
More data centers than you expect just dump the water rather than cool it down and reuse it.
AFAIK most datacenters use evaporative cooling so water simply evaporate and system has to be filled up again, other systems that are dumping water have issue with all kind of additives like anti corrosion, residual etc and water shouldn’t be just dumped but go through wastewater treatment
Well it doesn’t because obviously it cost money, just recently there was a scandal with Musk collosus datacenter where they straight dumping toxic wastewater into neighborhood, because well, water treatment centre they’ve planned is too expensive
My understanding is that a data center can be open loop or closed loop. Closed loop is like a water cooling pc with a radiator and you have to cool the water down to ambient temps. Open loop (or semi open loop) is more common which involves dumping hot water into the local sewer system or local waterways.
More data centers than you expect just dump the water rather than cool it down and reuse it.
AFAIK most datacenters use evaporative cooling so water simply evaporate and system has to be filled up again, other systems that are dumping water have issue with all kind of additives like anti corrosion, residual etc and water shouldn’t be just dumped but go through wastewater treatment
Yeah and I have little confidence the proper treatment will happen always.
Well it doesn’t because obviously it cost money, just recently there was a scandal with Musk collosus datacenter where they straight dumping toxic wastewater into neighborhood, because well, water treatment centre they’ve planned is too expensive
www.thecooldown.com/green-business/xai-water-recycling-facility-memphis-indefinitely-paused/
https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-environmental-regulations
It seems like all of Musk’s companies have a habit of illegal dumping.
Or polluting black neighborhoods.