L A T E S T I N T E L L I G E N C E
SMART WATER CONSERVATION FOR FUTURE-READY DATA CENTERS
cCOOLING AT THE SPEED OF AI
When it comes to reducing water and energy footprints, many organizations see only obstacles. At Ecolab, we see only opportunities.
The AI revolution has increased energy and cooling demand on an unprecedented scale. This is driving a migration in data center cooling architectures to mitigate the heat generated by today’ s advancedcomputing applications and chips.
To put demand into perspective, a typical query answered by a leading generative AI system requires 2.9 watt-hours( Wh) of electricity, or roughly 10 times the amount of electricity consumed for the standard search engine query. When multiplied across millions of daily queries, this consumption grows substantially.
Current forecasts indicate that computing infrastructure for advanced large-language models could, by 2030, require 327 gigawatts( GW) of electricity to keep up with demand. That’ s approximately 70 % of the total electricity used in the United States in 2024.
To stay competitive now and in the future, data center providers must invest in state-of-the-art cooling infrastructures and digital monitoring that allows them to conserve resources, optimize performance, and quickly adapt to changes in demand.
ENERGY REQUIRES WATER
Today, power is the number-one source limiting data-center growth. Depending on geography and computing demand, increased water requirements can also strain local watersheds. Conserving power and water is paramount for data centers to gain a competitive edge and improve operational efficiency. �
Smart Water Conservation for Future-Ready Data Centers
WHITE PAPER
COOLING AT THE SPEED OF AI
When it comes to reducing water and energy footprints, many organizations see only obstacles. At Ecolab, we see only opportunities.
The AI revolution has increased energy and cooling demand on an unprecedented scale. This is driving a migration in data center cooling architectures to mitigate the heat generated by today’ s advancedcomputing applications and chips.
ENERGY REQUIRES WATER
Today, power is the number-one source limiting data-center growth. Depending on geography and computing demand, increased water requirements can also strain local watersheds. Conserving power and water is paramount for data centers to gain a competitive edge and improve operational efficiency.
In an effort to reduce their water footprint, some organizations have adopted waterless cooling methods. Without a comprehensive analysis, waterless cooling methods can overlook two fundamentals that may actually increase the hydro footprint of the data center: 1) water is a much more efficient means of cooling than air and requires less energy; and 2) energy production itself requires the use of water.
To put demand into perspective, a typical query answered by a leading generative AI system requires 2.9 watt-hours( Wh) of electricity, or roughly 10 times the amount of electricity consumed for the standard search engine query. When multiplied across millions of daily queries, this consumption grows substantially. Current forecasts indicate that computing infrastructure for advanced largelanguage models could, by 2030, require
For example, it takes 570 – 1,100 liters of water to create 1 megawatt-hour( MWh) of electricity by burning natural gas, creating a significant water footprint to start. Depending on the local climate and the design of the liquid-cooled system, water-cooled data centers typically use 10 – 30 % less energy than air-cooled chiller applications. This is due to the thermodynamics of water itself: water is denser than air, giving it nearly 3,500x the heat-carrying capacity of air and transferring heat 23.5x faster.
Even with water’ s superior cooling efficiency compared to air, organizations can ensure the use of water in their systems is strategic, using water where it makes sense and only as much as needed.
327 gigawatts( GW) of electricity to keep up with demand. That’ s approximately 70 % of the total electricity used in the United States in 2024.
To stay competitive now and in the future, data center providers must invest in state-of-the-art cooling infrastructures and digital monitoring that allows them to conserve resources, optimize performance, and quickly adapt to changes in demand.
LIQUID-COOLED DATA CENTERS
10 – 30 %
less energy usage than air-cooled chiller applications
3,500x the heat-carrying capacity of air
23.5x faster transferring heat
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